Showing posts with label Buffalo Bills. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Buffalo Bills. Show all posts
Week 14 Picks
12/09/2010 | Posted by
Devin
About halfway through this season, I decided to stop writing full-blown picks articles and focus more on the upcoming Bills game. This was a solid strategy but when it comes to a week like this it's borderline impossible. I've sat here at the computer for well over an hour trying to come up with a good Bills vs Browns preview. Here is what I've been able to come up with so far:
1. The Bills offensive line is a mess and might get destroyed on Sunday
2. The weather will be really bad
3. Jake Delhomme sucks
4. Peyton Hillis is going to plow through the Bills horrendous run defense
That's it. That's all I've been able to come up with. There is no possible way I can write a full preview when every thought I have centers around those four ideas. So I decided, at least for this week, that I would revert back to old form and just pick all the games and throw a few lines up about each game instead.
Picks are in bold.
Indianapolis @ Tennessee
- For the NFL wanting to showcase Thursday night football games and hold it against cable companies because they don't have the games, they are sure picking some awful matchups. Granted it isn't their fault and they can't predict the future, but these have been some crap games. The Falcons/Ravens game was a nice start, but it's been pure garbage since then, this game included. Next week we have San Diego and San Francisco. (How does San Francisco get so many primetime games?!?) The following week it's Carolina/Pittsburgh on Thursday and Dallas/Arizona on Saturday. I have a feeling some Time Warner executive is sitting back cackling about this and the NFL's demands to carry the network. Regardless, I'm glad I have them because sometimes any football is better than no football.
Back to the game though. I can't see any possible way that the Colts lose this game. For the first time that I can remember, their back is against the wall and their playoff hopes are in serious jeopardy. On top of that, Peyton Manning has been pure garbage for the past three weeks and he's going to eventually rebound in a big way. Luckily for all of us fantasy players, it's happening around fantasy playoff time. This is a huge change from previous years where Manning owners were carried to the playoffs and then screwed over as Indianapolis rested their starters.
On top of that, the Titans have fallen into the tank and are finished for the season. They are two games back in the division with games against the Colts, Texans, Chiefs, and Colts. There isn't an easy game remaining on the slate. Vince Young is finished for the season, Kerry Collins is showing his age, and Rusty Smith is Rusty Smith. All of this must be affecting CJ2K because he's rushed for 58 yards in the last two games combined. All of this leads to my one big question about Tennessee. At what point do people start pointing the finger at Jeff Fisher? There seems to be constant character issues in Tennessee and to be quite honest, what exactly has he done? He's been the coach for almost 20 years with only one Super Bowl appearance to date.
Cleveland @ Buffalo
- As I highlighted above, Peyton Hillis is going to run all over the Bills. If the reports are true and Buffalo does get a huge blizzard, I expect even more running and an even bigger day for Hillis. As if he isn't hard enough to tackle, now do it when the conditions suck and it's freezing outside. The only hope I have right now is that Hillis turns the ball over a few times and the Bills are able to hang with them and make it close. For a game that I thought was a definite win earlier in the season, I have little hope at this point and don't expect a whole lot.
Green Bay @ Detroit
- Crazy thought of the day. If the season were to end today, the Packers would not make the playoffs. A large part of this is because the awful NFC West will get a team in no matter what, but also because Chicago has a full game lead on Green Bay and the tie-breaker as of now. Because of all this, Green Bay is full must-win mode for the final four games of the season. They face the Giants and Bears in the final two weeks, the two teams ahead of them in the wild card and division. Combine this with the fact that they are playing Detroit, and there is no way Green Bay can lose this game.
New York Giants @ Minnesota
- If there was one annoying thing about last week's Vikings/Bills game, it was the whole "Tarvaris Jackson is good" idea that kept getting thrown out there. Listen, he wasn't good at all. His one touchdown was a toss-up to Sidney Rice, who made a great catch to pull it down in between two Buffalo defenders. But let's not get crazy. I could've thrown that pass. It wasn't Jackson's great pass at all; it was Rice's tremendous effort. On top of that, Jackson threw three interceptions to a defense that had four going into the day. The reason Minnesota won was because A)Adrian Peterson ran all over the league's worst run defense and B) The Bills turned the ball over five times, including twice that gave Minnesota the ball in the red zone and once on the one yard line where they were poised to score.
With all of the above in mind, the Giants will win this game. Their defense is much better than Buffalo's and they are a much more desperate team. They need to win this game to keep pace and setup a division deciding matchup next week against Philadelphia. Good teams don't lose the easy ones.
Cincinnati @ Pittsburgh
- When doing a little research on the Steelers, I came across one really impressive stat. Rashard Mendenhall has 1007 yards and nine touchdowns on the season. Normally that wouldn't be very impressive given the fact that he is good and the Steelers are also good, but it's amazing given the offensive line he has in front of him. This says a lot coming from a Bills fan, but the Steelers have the worst offensive line I've seen in a long time. The Bills have one of the worst defenses in recent memory and they were consistently putting pressure on Ben Roethlisberger. On top of that, the few times they were protecting him well was because they were always holding. I'm saying this as unbiased as I can, I have no idea how they are going to win in the playoffs with such a horrendous offensive line. They should win at least three of the next four games, but it will be interesting to see how this is addressed in the playoffs.
Tampa Bay @ Washington
- Tampa Bay pretty much blew their shot at the playoffs last week when they lost to Atlanta. Right now they are 7-5 and trail the Giants and Packers for the wild card. They would actually need a collapse from both teams (not happening) to gain the sixth seed. Even more of a long shot is to hope either New Orleans or Atlanta flop in the final four weeks and allow them to creep in. I've mentioned this before, but we can thank the awful NFC West for this, because as of now, the 6-6 St. Louis Rams would be hosting a playoff game. I addressed a similar issue in my fantasy league for next season; the NFL may want to do the same.
Atlanta @ Carolina
- When I was recently asked about how I'd pick for the Super Bowl, I said I'd have to pick Atlanta in the NFC if they have home-field throughout the playoffs. The formula is simple: the Falcons almost never lose at home. In three seasons, Matt Ryan has lost once inside the Georgia Dome. That is a crazy stat, but 100% true. Now that we know that, also know that the Falcons control their own destiny for the top seed in the NFC and have games against Carolina, Seattle, New Orleans, and Carolina. Three easy wins on that list and the hard game against New Orleans, it's at home. In other words, the Falcons have pretty much wrapped up home field throughout the playoffs.
Oakland @ Jacksonville
- I realize that Jacksonville is in first place in the AFC South and in the driver's seat to make the playoffs, but I refuse to believe they're a good team. They have exactly zero wins against teams with a record above .500. Their losses on the other hand, have come against teams with records of 6-6, 8-4, 5-7, 8-4, and 8-4. Do you see the point I'm making here? They play bad teams, they win. They play good teams, they lose. Sometimes it's really that simply. If the Jags somehow hold onto the South lead and host a playoff game, not only will it not sell out, but they'll be one and done for sure. Mark it down. The Jaguars are a joke.
Seattle @ San Francisco
- I have to think Seattle is going to win this game because right now they are dead-locked in first place at 6-6 with the Rams. That's my only reasoning. Well that and the 49ers aren't very good. Seattle beat them 31-6 on opening day and I don't see any reason why it would be different this week.
St. Louis @ New Orleans
- As of now, this would be a first round preview. Yikes. The Rams are much improved over past years, but they aren't beating the Saints on the road. To their credit though, the line is -8.5 for New Orleans and I think the Rams will at least cover the spread.
New England @ Chicago
- If we've learned one thing over the years, it's to not piss the Patriots off. The Jets pissed them off by constantly running their mouth without accomplishing anything and look what happened last Monday night. This week, Brian Urlacher came out and said the Bears are the best team in the NFL right now. I'm just guessing, but I don't think Tom Brady and company will respond very well to that.
Miami @ NY Jets
- While last week's loss to New England was certainly deflating for the Jets playoff hopes, they still have a wild card berth nearly locked up so hope is still high in Jersey. The key to this game will be how well the Jets run the ball because cold weather + important game = Mark Sanchez implosion when he's forced to throw the ball. Speaking of running the ball, LaDainian Tomlinson has slowed down a bit in recent weeks. I wrote about this earlier in the season but I was of the mind that his body and age would slow him up and he wouldn't keep up his hot start. He's gone over 100 yards this season one time. The last time he even ran for more than 60 yards was in Week Five. Look, all I'm trying to say is that Tomlinson is old and washed up.
Denver @ Arizona
- Interim coaches are 2-0 this season in their debut, which is the sole reason for me picking Denver. Seriously. I have no other reasoning.
Kansas City @ San Diego
- If San Diego loses this game, they will be eliminated from winning the AFC West. They won't be out of the wild card "mathematically," but believe me they'll be out of it. Crazy to think at how they've done with the amount of talent they have. Also worth noting in this game, Matt Cassel had an emergency appendectomy this week. I'm no medical expert, but I can't imagine him playing very well on such short rest after a rather major operation. And if he doesn't play, it appears to be Brodie Croyle under center. Not looking good for Kansas City this Sunday.
Philadelphia @ Dallas
- Dallas has been much improved since Jason Garrett took over for Wade Phillips, which further proves that Dallas had simply quit on Phillips. If Jerry Jones had made the move sooner, I bet we'd be discussing the playoff chances for Dallas. But for as well as they've played, I don't think they'll keep up with Philadelphia. The Eagles might be the fastest team in the league and their NFC leading 344 points prove that point. Ironically, for as good as the Eagles have been, they are only 8-4 and tied for first place. Without a win against the Giants earlier this season, the Eagles would actually be out of the playoffs because of an opening day loss to Green Bay. I find this all very interesting because as good as they are; they are one slip-up away from golfing on wild card weekend.
Baltimore @ Houston
- This game is a combination of Baltimore losing, Baltimore being angry, and Houston not being very good. It's shaping up for a blowout in Baltimore's favor. But don't worry, Houston still won't fire Gary Kubiak. They still have hope for finishing 9-7 and out of the playoffs yet again.
Last Week: 12-4
Entire Season: 123-69
Scott's Picks:
Indianapolis @ Tennessee
Cleveland @ Buffalo
Green Bay @ Detroit
New York Giants @ Minnesota
Cincinnati @ Pittsburgh
Tampa Bay @ Washington
Atlanta @ Carolina
Oakland
@ Jacksonville
Seattle
@ San Francisco
St. Louis @ New Orleans
New England @ Chicago
Miami @ NY Jets
Denver @ Arizona
Kansas City @ San Diego
Philadelphia @ Dallas
Baltimore @ Houston
Last Week: 12-4
Entire Season: 118-74
1. The Bills offensive line is a mess and might get destroyed on Sunday
2. The weather will be really bad
3. Jake Delhomme sucks
4. Peyton Hillis is going to plow through the Bills horrendous run defense
That's it. That's all I've been able to come up with. There is no possible way I can write a full preview when every thought I have centers around those four ideas. So I decided, at least for this week, that I would revert back to old form and just pick all the games and throw a few lines up about each game instead.
Picks are in bold.
Indianapolis @ Tennessee
- For the NFL wanting to showcase Thursday night football games and hold it against cable companies because they don't have the games, they are sure picking some awful matchups. Granted it isn't their fault and they can't predict the future, but these have been some crap games. The Falcons/Ravens game was a nice start, but it's been pure garbage since then, this game included. Next week we have San Diego and San Francisco. (How does San Francisco get so many primetime games?!?) The following week it's Carolina/Pittsburgh on Thursday and Dallas/Arizona on Saturday. I have a feeling some Time Warner executive is sitting back cackling about this and the NFL's demands to carry the network. Regardless, I'm glad I have them because sometimes any football is better than no football.
Back to the game though. I can't see any possible way that the Colts lose this game. For the first time that I can remember, their back is against the wall and their playoff hopes are in serious jeopardy. On top of that, Peyton Manning has been pure garbage for the past three weeks and he's going to eventually rebound in a big way. Luckily for all of us fantasy players, it's happening around fantasy playoff time. This is a huge change from previous years where Manning owners were carried to the playoffs and then screwed over as Indianapolis rested their starters.
On top of that, the Titans have fallen into the tank and are finished for the season. They are two games back in the division with games against the Colts, Texans, Chiefs, and Colts. There isn't an easy game remaining on the slate. Vince Young is finished for the season, Kerry Collins is showing his age, and Rusty Smith is Rusty Smith. All of this must be affecting CJ2K because he's rushed for 58 yards in the last two games combined. All of this leads to my one big question about Tennessee. At what point do people start pointing the finger at Jeff Fisher? There seems to be constant character issues in Tennessee and to be quite honest, what exactly has he done? He's been the coach for almost 20 years with only one Super Bowl appearance to date.
Cleveland @ Buffalo
Green Bay @ Detroit
- Crazy thought of the day. If the season were to end today, the Packers would not make the playoffs. A large part of this is because the awful NFC West will get a team in no matter what, but also because Chicago has a full game lead on Green Bay and the tie-breaker as of now. Because of all this, Green Bay is full must-win mode for the final four games of the season. They face the Giants and Bears in the final two weeks, the two teams ahead of them in the wild card and division. Combine this with the fact that they are playing Detroit, and there is no way Green Bay can lose this game.
New York Giants @ Minnesota
- If there was one annoying thing about last week's Vikings/Bills game, it was the whole "Tarvaris Jackson is good" idea that kept getting thrown out there. Listen, he wasn't good at all. His one touchdown was a toss-up to Sidney Rice, who made a great catch to pull it down in between two Buffalo defenders. But let's not get crazy. I could've thrown that pass. It wasn't Jackson's great pass at all; it was Rice's tremendous effort. On top of that, Jackson threw three interceptions to a defense that had four going into the day. The reason Minnesota won was because A)Adrian Peterson ran all over the league's worst run defense and B) The Bills turned the ball over five times, including twice that gave Minnesota the ball in the red zone and once on the one yard line where they were poised to score.
With all of the above in mind, the Giants will win this game. Their defense is much better than Buffalo's and they are a much more desperate team. They need to win this game to keep pace and setup a division deciding matchup next week against Philadelphia. Good teams don't lose the easy ones.
Cincinnati @ Pittsburgh
- When doing a little research on the Steelers, I came across one really impressive stat. Rashard Mendenhall has 1007 yards and nine touchdowns on the season. Normally that wouldn't be very impressive given the fact that he is good and the Steelers are also good, but it's amazing given the offensive line he has in front of him. This says a lot coming from a Bills fan, but the Steelers have the worst offensive line I've seen in a long time. The Bills have one of the worst defenses in recent memory and they were consistently putting pressure on Ben Roethlisberger. On top of that, the few times they were protecting him well was because they were always holding. I'm saying this as unbiased as I can, I have no idea how they are going to win in the playoffs with such a horrendous offensive line. They should win at least three of the next four games, but it will be interesting to see how this is addressed in the playoffs.
Tampa Bay @ Washington
- Tampa Bay pretty much blew their shot at the playoffs last week when they lost to Atlanta. Right now they are 7-5 and trail the Giants and Packers for the wild card. They would actually need a collapse from both teams (not happening) to gain the sixth seed. Even more of a long shot is to hope either New Orleans or Atlanta flop in the final four weeks and allow them to creep in. I've mentioned this before, but we can thank the awful NFC West for this, because as of now, the 6-6 St. Louis Rams would be hosting a playoff game. I addressed a similar issue in my fantasy league for next season; the NFL may want to do the same.
Atlanta @ Carolina
- When I was recently asked about how I'd pick for the Super Bowl, I said I'd have to pick Atlanta in the NFC if they have home-field throughout the playoffs. The formula is simple: the Falcons almost never lose at home. In three seasons, Matt Ryan has lost once inside the Georgia Dome. That is a crazy stat, but 100% true. Now that we know that, also know that the Falcons control their own destiny for the top seed in the NFC and have games against Carolina, Seattle, New Orleans, and Carolina. Three easy wins on that list and the hard game against New Orleans, it's at home. In other words, the Falcons have pretty much wrapped up home field throughout the playoffs.
Oakland @ Jacksonville
- I realize that Jacksonville is in first place in the AFC South and in the driver's seat to make the playoffs, but I refuse to believe they're a good team. They have exactly zero wins against teams with a record above .500. Their losses on the other hand, have come against teams with records of 6-6, 8-4, 5-7, 8-4, and 8-4. Do you see the point I'm making here? They play bad teams, they win. They play good teams, they lose. Sometimes it's really that simply. If the Jags somehow hold onto the South lead and host a playoff game, not only will it not sell out, but they'll be one and done for sure. Mark it down. The Jaguars are a joke.
Seattle @ San Francisco
- I have to think Seattle is going to win this game because right now they are dead-locked in first place at 6-6 with the Rams. That's my only reasoning. Well that and the 49ers aren't very good. Seattle beat them 31-6 on opening day and I don't see any reason why it would be different this week.
St. Louis @ New Orleans
- As of now, this would be a first round preview. Yikes. The Rams are much improved over past years, but they aren't beating the Saints on the road. To their credit though, the line is -8.5 for New Orleans and I think the Rams will at least cover the spread.
New England @ Chicago
- If we've learned one thing over the years, it's to not piss the Patriots off. The Jets pissed them off by constantly running their mouth without accomplishing anything and look what happened last Monday night. This week, Brian Urlacher came out and said the Bears are the best team in the NFL right now. I'm just guessing, but I don't think Tom Brady and company will respond very well to that.
Miami @ NY Jets
Denver @ Arizona
- Interim coaches are 2-0 this season in their debut, which is the sole reason for me picking Denver. Seriously. I have no other reasoning.
Kansas City @ San Diego
- If San Diego loses this game, they will be eliminated from winning the AFC West. They won't be out of the wild card "mathematically," but believe me they'll be out of it. Crazy to think at how they've done with the amount of talent they have. Also worth noting in this game, Matt Cassel had an emergency appendectomy this week. I'm no medical expert, but I can't imagine him playing very well on such short rest after a rather major operation. And if he doesn't play, it appears to be Brodie Croyle under center. Not looking good for Kansas City this Sunday.
Philadelphia @ Dallas
- Dallas has been much improved since Jason Garrett took over for Wade Phillips, which further proves that Dallas had simply quit on Phillips. If Jerry Jones had made the move sooner, I bet we'd be discussing the playoff chances for Dallas. But for as well as they've played, I don't think they'll keep up with Philadelphia. The Eagles might be the fastest team in the league and their NFC leading 344 points prove that point. Ironically, for as good as the Eagles have been, they are only 8-4 and tied for first place. Without a win against the Giants earlier this season, the Eagles would actually be out of the playoffs because of an opening day loss to Green Bay. I find this all very interesting because as good as they are; they are one slip-up away from golfing on wild card weekend.
Baltimore @ Houston
- This game is a combination of Baltimore losing, Baltimore being angry, and Houston not being very good. It's shaping up for a blowout in Baltimore's favor. But don't worry, Houston still won't fire Gary Kubiak. They still have hope for finishing 9-7 and out of the playoffs yet again.
Last Week: 12-4
Entire Season: 123-69
Scott's Picks:
Indianapolis @ Tennessee
Cleveland @ Buffalo
Green Bay @ Detroit
New York Giants @ Minnesota
Cincinnati @ Pittsburgh
Tampa Bay @ Washington
Atlanta @ Carolina
Oakland
@ Jacksonville
Seattle
@ San Francisco
St. Louis @ New Orleans
New England @ Chicago
Miami @ NY Jets
Denver @ Arizona
Kansas City @ San Diego
Philadelphia @ Dallas
Baltimore @ Houston
Last Week: 12-4
Entire Season: 118-74
Labels:
Bills/Vikings Preview & Week 13 Picks
12/02/2010 | Posted by
Devin
When the NFL schedule was first released for this season, the game this week against Minnesota was the second most highly anticipated one for me personally. The first being last week's game against Pittsburgh since I live in a city that tries to act like Pittsburgh's little brother.
While it may seem odd that a game against an NFC North team would draw my interest, it should be no surprise to those who know me. For one, I know enough Vikings' fans personally to generate a tiny rivalry with them, so it's always fun when the Bills take on the Vikings. Second, the Bills get to face Brett Favre, who is my version of the devil when it comes to NFL players. I've made no secret when it comes to my feelings on Favre so I would really enjoy watching him fall flat on his face against my team. And third, I really want to see Stevie Johnson rebound from the last game and especially do it against Cris Carter's former team. It would be that much sweeter if he did.
Before the season I predicted that both of these games would be losses and joked that nothing good comes my way in terms of sports. While the latter is mostly true, I don't think a Bills victory this week is very far-fetched anymore. The Vikings have been a disaster this season and while the Bills have only won two games, they are easily the best 2-9 team I've ever seen. The one advantage Minnesota has on Buffalo is Adrian Peterson against the worst rushing defense in the NFL. Luckily for the Bills, if Peterson even plays at all, odds are he won't be 100% for the game.
Since the last time I wrote a preview, the Bills have won two out of three games and probably should've won the third. This included a home win against Detroit that I was in attendance for and a second half thrashing of the Bengals. I will say without a doubt that Buffalo fans don't always get the credit they deserve. I'd like to see what other group of fans would fill a stadium for the most part (it was still blacked out) for their 0-8 team facing the 2-6 Lions on a rainy November afternoon and still make the same amount of noise and impact on the game. I was so proud to be a Bills fan that day.
And since I've been gone for most of November, let's see what I've missed during that time.
Ryan Fitzpatrick has continued his steady play and has pretty much ruled out the possibility of drafting a QB in the first round. In my opinion, I don't think Fitzpatrick is the answer in terms of a franchise QB. However, I do think he could hold down the job for a year or two while a second or third round pick learns the ropes from him.
Fred Jackson has now rushed for 621 yards, which is truly amazing considering the fact that he was barely used for the first four weeks of the season. Last season, Jackson had a career high 1062 rushing yards on the season. He would have to average 88 yards per game for the final five to eclipse that number, which is a definite possibility.
Stevie Johnson has 59 receptions, 796 yards receiving, and nine touchdowns so far. A few points of interest on Stevie's season so far. According to my research, Eric Moulds holds the franchise record for receptions in one season with 100 in 2002. Stevie would have to haul in 8.2 per game to tie that mark. It's a long shot, but it isn't out of the question just yet. Eric Moulds also holds the franchise record for receiving yards in a season, with 1368 in 1998. Stevie would need 114.4 per game to tie that mark. I think that is out of the question personally. But who knows? Maybe a huge 200 yard day puts it more within reach. Finally, Bill Brooks holds the franchise record for receiving touchdowns in a season with 11 in 1995. That record is by far the most attainable and could even be tied this weekend in Minnesota. One franchise record would be awesome. Two would be even better, but all three would be downright amazing.
The defense has also come around lately. Granted they still allow a ton of yards, the point totals have decreased which has really allowed the Bills to be in almost every game. After a string of five games early in the year allowing 30+ points, the Bills have gone on to allow 13, 22, 12, 31, and 19. The 31 is misleading because that game was against the Bengals where Fitzpatrick gift wrapped seven points, so in reality that was a 24 point performance for the defense. Like I said, not great, but a definite improvement over what they were earlier in the year.
Because I'm A) a huge homer and B) really liking this Bills team, I'm picking them to upset the Vikings this Sunday. It also helps that I have money riding on this game with a fellow Vikings fan.
Here are my other Week 13 picks, along with Scott's picks.
Houston @ Philadelphia
New Orleans @ Cincinnati
Chicago @ Detroit
San Francisco @ Green Bay
Jacksonville @ Tennessee
Denver @ Kansas City
Cleveland @ Miami
Washington @ NY Giants
Oakland @ San Diego
Atlanta @ Tampa Bay
Carolina @ Seattle
St. Louis @ Arizona
Dallas @ Indianapolis
Pittsburgh @ Baltimore
NY Jets @ New England
Entire Season: 111-65
SCOTT'S PICKS
Houston @ Philadelphia
New Orleans @ Cincinnati
Chicago @ Detroit
San Francisco @ Green Bay
Jacksonville @ Tennessee
Denver @ Kansas City
Cleveland @ Miami
Buffalo @ Minnesota
Washington @ NY Giants
Oakland @ San Diego
Atlanta @ Tampa Bay
Carolina @ Seattle
St. Louis @ Arizona
Dallas @ Indianapolis
Pittsburgh
@ Baltimore
NY Jets @ New England
Entire Season: 106-70
Before the season I predicted that both of these games would be losses and joked that nothing good comes my way in terms of sports. While the latter is mostly true, I don't think a Bills victory this week is very far-fetched anymore. The Vikings have been a disaster this season and while the Bills have only won two games, they are easily the best 2-9 team I've ever seen. The one advantage Minnesota has on Buffalo is Adrian Peterson against the worst rushing defense in the NFL. Luckily for the Bills, if Peterson even plays at all, odds are he won't be 100% for the game.
Since the last time I wrote a preview, the Bills have won two out of three games and probably should've won the third. This included a home win against Detroit that I was in attendance for and a second half thrashing of the Bengals. I will say without a doubt that Buffalo fans don't always get the credit they deserve. I'd like to see what other group of fans would fill a stadium for the most part (it was still blacked out) for their 0-8 team facing the 2-6 Lions on a rainy November afternoon and still make the same amount of noise and impact on the game. I was so proud to be a Bills fan that day.
And since I've been gone for most of November, let's see what I've missed during that time.
Fred Jackson has now rushed for 621 yards, which is truly amazing considering the fact that he was barely used for the first four weeks of the season. Last season, Jackson had a career high 1062 rushing yards on the season. He would have to average 88 yards per game for the final five to eclipse that number, which is a definite possibility.
Stevie Johnson has 59 receptions, 796 yards receiving, and nine touchdowns so far. A few points of interest on Stevie's season so far. According to my research, Eric Moulds holds the franchise record for receptions in one season with 100 in 2002. Stevie would have to haul in 8.2 per game to tie that mark. It's a long shot, but it isn't out of the question just yet. Eric Moulds also holds the franchise record for receiving yards in a season, with 1368 in 1998. Stevie would need 114.4 per game to tie that mark. I think that is out of the question personally. But who knows? Maybe a huge 200 yard day puts it more within reach. Finally, Bill Brooks holds the franchise record for receiving touchdowns in a season with 11 in 1995. That record is by far the most attainable and could even be tied this weekend in Minnesota. One franchise record would be awesome. Two would be even better, but all three would be downright amazing.
The defense has also come around lately. Granted they still allow a ton of yards, the point totals have decreased which has really allowed the Bills to be in almost every game. After a string of five games early in the year allowing 30+ points, the Bills have gone on to allow 13, 22, 12, 31, and 19. The 31 is misleading because that game was against the Bengals where Fitzpatrick gift wrapped seven points, so in reality that was a 24 point performance for the defense. Like I said, not great, but a definite improvement over what they were earlier in the year.
Because I'm A) a huge homer and B) really liking this Bills team, I'm picking them to upset the Vikings this Sunday. It also helps that I have money riding on this game with a fellow Vikings fan.
Here are my other Week 13 picks, along with Scott's picks.
Houston @ Philadelphia
New Orleans @ Cincinnati
Chicago @ Detroit
San Francisco @ Green Bay
Jacksonville @ Tennessee
Denver @ Kansas City
Cleveland @ Miami
Washington @ NY Giants
Oakland @ San Diego
Atlanta @ Tampa Bay
Carolina @ Seattle
St. Louis @ Arizona
Dallas @ Indianapolis
Pittsburgh @ Baltimore
NY Jets @ New England
Entire Season: 111-65
SCOTT'S PICKS
Houston @ Philadelphia
New Orleans @ Cincinnati
Chicago @ Detroit
San Francisco @ Green Bay
Jacksonville @ Tennessee
Denver @ Kansas City
Cleveland @ Miami
Buffalo @ Minnesota
Washington @ NY Giants
Oakland @ San Diego
Atlanta @ Tampa Bay
Carolina @ Seattle
St. Louis @ Arizona
Dallas @ Indianapolis
Pittsburgh
@ Baltimore
NY Jets @ New England
Entire Season: 106-70
Thoughts on Stevie and my self-imposed ban on ESPN
11/30/2010 | Posted by
Devin
This is a true story. I used to hate Terrell Owens and believed everything I heard about the guy. I thought he was a terrible teammate, a terrible person, and an overrated player.
Then he came to Buffalo. I hated the move, mostly because of what I said above. But I opened up to him very quickly. Some can call it a flip-flop opinion, but the truth is that once he was on my team, I started to realize the truth about T.O. and not believe things I read in the media. For example: T.O.'s "outburst" on the sidelines during a game against the Titans that was blown up on Sportscenter the following day. But I saw the game. I saw what T.O. actually did. And to be honest, any player that cares about winning would've lost their cool during that game. It was absolutely horrendous. Come to think of it, Dick Jauron was fired following that game so as you might imagine, things weren't going well for the Bills.
This is what major media outlets do though, they love to take non-stories that have little to do with the game and hammer them to death 24 hours a day. And yes, this is specifically aimed at ESPN because they are by far the biggest offender of this.
(On a quick little side note: I find it hilarious when everybody clamors about what a great leader Tom Brady is when he's flipping out on the sidelines during the Pittsburgh game, but if T.O. or Ochocinco pull the same stunt, they are a cancer to the team. Hypocrisy at its finest.)
As we speak, ESPN is going on about LeBron James bumping into his coach, Eric Spoelstra. Do you know what they aren't talking about? The 14-2 San Antonio Spurs. The 14-5 Utah Jazz. (Although to be fair, they talked about the Jazz quite a bit when they beat the Heat.) I understand that LeBron James is one of, if not the biggest, stars in the NBA. I understand that his decision to leave Cleveland was an enormous sports story. And I understand that since the Miami Heat decided to become a super team, they would be covered ad nauseam. But as a sports fan in general without an NBA team, I'd like to know what's going on in the league. I actually had no idea the Spurs were the best team before I wrote this because I had to look it up. I shouldn't have to do that. It's not just with the NBA either.
When ESPN isn't camping out in Minnesota (which isn't nearly as often since Brad Childress was fired), they can usually be found in Dallas covering the most high profile 3-8 team in NFL history. Seriously, the Cowboys get more attention than any team in the NFL and they suck. But hey, when ESPN is running the show, they will tell you what they want to tell you and you're just gonna have deal with that.
As an NFL fan, I care about the two huge games this Sunday; Jets at Patriots and Steelers at Ravens. Do you know which game you'll hear more about going through the week? Jets at Patriots. Do you know why? Because Rex Ryan hoards attention and ESPN loves to feed into it. The Bears and Packers are in an absolute slugfest for the NFC North title this season, but I'd doubt you'll hear about that when we can talk about the 2-9 Bills losing an irrelevant regular season game and Stevie Johnson's Twitter account.
On the topic of Stevie's tweet, there are a few things I want to point out. First, I do not think for a second that Stevie Johnson was blaming God for dropping the game winning touchdown on Sunday. He's a kid and had one million different emotions running through him immediately after the game. Foolishly, he went to Twitter first and vented. It came out wrong and I don't think it was the right move, but people need to stop claiming that be blamed God.
(And if he honestly did, who cares? Players consistently praise God after a victory, as if some higher power cared about the outcome of an NFL football game. That is just as ridiculous as this, if not more because it happens on a daily basis.)
Second, what the hell? The Bills are 2-9 and this loss is just as crushing as the losses against Baltimore and Kansas City this season. What about the losses against Dallas and New England on Monday Night Football in past years? Those were much worse in the grand scheme of things. But you wouldn't know this listening to ESPN. I actually heard Steve Levy on Sportscenter relate Sunday's loss to the "No Goal" incident for the Sabres. Was he serious? Yes he was. He actually compared a regular season loss for a team already eliminated from the playoffs to Buffalo's hockey team losing the Stanley Cup on home ice to a goal that should have been disallowed. Are you kidding me? This might be the dumbest thing I've heard in my entire life. He should've been fired on the spot for saying that.
So why is this game getting so much attention? I'd assume it's because Stevie took to Twitter after the game. You know what else Stevie did? He opted to not ignore the media, not face them at his locker, but to actually go to the podium and man-up for his mistake. Don't think for a second that it was easy for him to do that. Any human being could see how devastated he was for dropping the ball. Instead of pulling a stunt I've seen dozens of times before where the player avoids the media, Stevie faced it like a man. Outside of a few columnists on Around the Horn and Peter King, I haven't seen anybody truly give him credit for this. But hey, why give someone credit in a moment of failure when we can pile on him and make it 100x worse?
My likeness for Stevie Johnson has been no secret throughout this season. He played a major role in losing the game against Pittsburgh, which was equivalent to my Super Bowl this season. And yet, I think I like him even more now. He manned up and took his medicine. He showed genuine emotion. He bawled his eyes out because he let his teammates and the fans down. I want players on my favorite team to care as much as him. We always hear about how it's a business and some athletes come off like they're robots designed to play sports, make money, and be a celebrity with no emotion. Here is a kid who really cares about what happened and the media wants to pour salt in the wound instead. Screw you guys. I wish the Bills had 53 players like Stevie Johnson. Hell, I wish the Sabres had one player like Stevie Johnson (who isn't the goalie).
I know Buffalo fans know this, but I wonder how many others know just how difficult Scott Norwood's Super Bowl XXV kick was. All they know is what they're told. Norwood missed a field goal at the end of the game to win the Super Bowl. He cost them the game. What they don't know is that it was a 47 yard attempt on natural grass. In other words, it was not an easy kick to begin with, and then you add in the pressure. According to Pro-Football-Reference, Norwood was 6 of 10 in 1990 on field goals from 40-49 yards. I won't continue to rehash this story because I think I've made my point. There are several different reasons why the Bills lost that game, one of them being Scott Norwood. However, it's no fun to focus on all those other factors when we can pile on one individual and beat away at him about it.
I'm not pulling a Steve Levy and comparing an overly significant moment in Buffalo history to this overall insignificant one, but I needed to give another example of how most factors are thrown out the window when the opportunity arises to publically humiliate someone.
I suppose the moral of the story would be how this situation could've been avoided if Stevie just stayed off Twitter. Almost. He still would've felt Cris Carter's wrath on Monday Night Countdown because apparently Johnson wronged Carter at some point in his life. I've never seen a supposed unbiased TV personality hammer away at a player the way Carter has in the last two weeks.
First it was over the way Johnson was dressed during his presser at the Cincinnati game. I guess he could've been dressed up in a suit like Tom Brady usually does, but maybe Stevie wanted to do the interview right after the game (he did) and not wait until later. Is it a big deal? No. Lots of players do their pressers right after the game. Ryan Fitzpatrick does his in full pads. No big deal. Who cares? I shrugged it off because Stevie poked right back at Carter when he appeared on ESPN's First Take wearing a tuxedo t-shirt. There is no doubt that in my opinion, this made me like Stevie Johnson even more than I did before.
But yesterday I had to draw the line as a fan of Johnson and the Bills. In the morning Cris Carter went on Mike and Mike and basically said that Johnson's bad game against Pittsburgh was because he did TV and radio interviews Tuesday through Thursday. Right, I totally believe that. Then Carter (and I knew this was coming all night but watched anyways) finished him off on the C'Mon Man segment during Monday Night Countdown. Carter not only highlighted every single drop from Sunday, but then rolled tape of himself hanging out with Hakeem Nicks and catching passes in a dome, with nobody around, and really no other circumstances involving the situation. This wasn't a typical C'Mon Man segment. Not even close. This was a flat out attempt to embarrass Johnson even more for his drops and for that, Cris Carter is an absolute joke. Keyshawn Johnson highlighted several key drops for his fellow USC Trojans on the weekend and that was that. He didn't then roll highlights of himself catching balls over the weekend and drag them through the mud even more. But hey, I guess Carter has to do what he has to do to feel good about himself. Maybe one day he'll get in the Hall of Fame and that will take away some of his pain from making a whopping zero Super Bowl appearances in his career.
All of this is why I've enforced a self-imposed ban on ESPN for the rest of the week. I can't stomach it anymore. I used to laugh and roll my eyes when they'd be going on about T.O., but I think I've hit my breaking point this week. We'll see how it goes but there is a chance this lasts longer than a week. I watch the games, so I know what happens on Sunday. I read enough during the week to catch up on the news. I follow enough people on Twitter to get updates without ignorant opinions. And it's not like ESPN even bothers with the NHL, so I won't be missing out on anything there either.
As for Stevie, he'll be fine. He'll learn from his Twitter mistake and I'm sure it won't happen again. He has the support of the Bills organization, including Ryan Fitzpatrick and his teammates. He also has the support from the real fans and that's all that matters. I just hope Stevie saw what Carter said and did on TV Monday night because last time I checked; the Bills play Carter's former team in his former home. Should be interesting. Hey Cris, why so serious?
Then he came to Buffalo. I hated the move, mostly because of what I said above. But I opened up to him very quickly. Some can call it a flip-flop opinion, but the truth is that once he was on my team, I started to realize the truth about T.O. and not believe things I read in the media. For example: T.O.'s "outburst" on the sidelines during a game against the Titans that was blown up on Sportscenter the following day. But I saw the game. I saw what T.O. actually did. And to be honest, any player that cares about winning would've lost their cool during that game. It was absolutely horrendous. Come to think of it, Dick Jauron was fired following that game so as you might imagine, things weren't going well for the Bills.
This is what major media outlets do though, they love to take non-stories that have little to do with the game and hammer them to death 24 hours a day. And yes, this is specifically aimed at ESPN because they are by far the biggest offender of this.
(On a quick little side note: I find it hilarious when everybody clamors about what a great leader Tom Brady is when he's flipping out on the sidelines during the Pittsburgh game, but if T.O. or Ochocinco pull the same stunt, they are a cancer to the team. Hypocrisy at its finest.)
As we speak, ESPN is going on about LeBron James bumping into his coach, Eric Spoelstra. Do you know what they aren't talking about? The 14-2 San Antonio Spurs. The 14-5 Utah Jazz. (Although to be fair, they talked about the Jazz quite a bit when they beat the Heat.) I understand that LeBron James is one of, if not the biggest, stars in the NBA. I understand that his decision to leave Cleveland was an enormous sports story. And I understand that since the Miami Heat decided to become a super team, they would be covered ad nauseam. But as a sports fan in general without an NBA team, I'd like to know what's going on in the league. I actually had no idea the Spurs were the best team before I wrote this because I had to look it up. I shouldn't have to do that. It's not just with the NBA either.
When ESPN isn't camping out in Minnesota (which isn't nearly as often since Brad Childress was fired), they can usually be found in Dallas covering the most high profile 3-8 team in NFL history. Seriously, the Cowboys get more attention than any team in the NFL and they suck. But hey, when ESPN is running the show, they will tell you what they want to tell you and you're just gonna have deal with that.
As an NFL fan, I care about the two huge games this Sunday; Jets at Patriots and Steelers at Ravens. Do you know which game you'll hear more about going through the week? Jets at Patriots. Do you know why? Because Rex Ryan hoards attention and ESPN loves to feed into it. The Bears and Packers are in an absolute slugfest for the NFC North title this season, but I'd doubt you'll hear about that when we can talk about the 2-9 Bills losing an irrelevant regular season game and Stevie Johnson's Twitter account.
(And if he honestly did, who cares? Players consistently praise God after a victory, as if some higher power cared about the outcome of an NFL football game. That is just as ridiculous as this, if not more because it happens on a daily basis.)
Second, what the hell? The Bills are 2-9 and this loss is just as crushing as the losses against Baltimore and Kansas City this season. What about the losses against Dallas and New England on Monday Night Football in past years? Those were much worse in the grand scheme of things. But you wouldn't know this listening to ESPN. I actually heard Steve Levy on Sportscenter relate Sunday's loss to the "No Goal" incident for the Sabres. Was he serious? Yes he was. He actually compared a regular season loss for a team already eliminated from the playoffs to Buffalo's hockey team losing the Stanley Cup on home ice to a goal that should have been disallowed. Are you kidding me? This might be the dumbest thing I've heard in my entire life. He should've been fired on the spot for saying that.
So why is this game getting so much attention? I'd assume it's because Stevie took to Twitter after the game. You know what else Stevie did? He opted to not ignore the media, not face them at his locker, but to actually go to the podium and man-up for his mistake. Don't think for a second that it was easy for him to do that. Any human being could see how devastated he was for dropping the ball. Instead of pulling a stunt I've seen dozens of times before where the player avoids the media, Stevie faced it like a man. Outside of a few columnists on Around the Horn and Peter King, I haven't seen anybody truly give him credit for this. But hey, why give someone credit in a moment of failure when we can pile on him and make it 100x worse?
My likeness for Stevie Johnson has been no secret throughout this season. He played a major role in losing the game against Pittsburgh, which was equivalent to my Super Bowl this season. And yet, I think I like him even more now. He manned up and took his medicine. He showed genuine emotion. He bawled his eyes out because he let his teammates and the fans down. I want players on my favorite team to care as much as him. We always hear about how it's a business and some athletes come off like they're robots designed to play sports, make money, and be a celebrity with no emotion. Here is a kid who really cares about what happened and the media wants to pour salt in the wound instead. Screw you guys. I wish the Bills had 53 players like Stevie Johnson. Hell, I wish the Sabres had one player like Stevie Johnson (who isn't the goalie).
I know Buffalo fans know this, but I wonder how many others know just how difficult Scott Norwood's Super Bowl XXV kick was. All they know is what they're told. Norwood missed a field goal at the end of the game to win the Super Bowl. He cost them the game. What they don't know is that it was a 47 yard attempt on natural grass. In other words, it was not an easy kick to begin with, and then you add in the pressure. According to Pro-Football-Reference, Norwood was 6 of 10 in 1990 on field goals from 40-49 yards. I won't continue to rehash this story because I think I've made my point. There are several different reasons why the Bills lost that game, one of them being Scott Norwood. However, it's no fun to focus on all those other factors when we can pile on one individual and beat away at him about it.
I'm not pulling a Steve Levy and comparing an overly significant moment in Buffalo history to this overall insignificant one, but I needed to give another example of how most factors are thrown out the window when the opportunity arises to publically humiliate someone.
First it was over the way Johnson was dressed during his presser at the Cincinnati game. I guess he could've been dressed up in a suit like Tom Brady usually does, but maybe Stevie wanted to do the interview right after the game (he did) and not wait until later. Is it a big deal? No. Lots of players do their pressers right after the game. Ryan Fitzpatrick does his in full pads. No big deal. Who cares? I shrugged it off because Stevie poked right back at Carter when he appeared on ESPN's First Take wearing a tuxedo t-shirt. There is no doubt that in my opinion, this made me like Stevie Johnson even more than I did before.
But yesterday I had to draw the line as a fan of Johnson and the Bills. In the morning Cris Carter went on Mike and Mike and basically said that Johnson's bad game against Pittsburgh was because he did TV and radio interviews Tuesday through Thursday. Right, I totally believe that. Then Carter (and I knew this was coming all night but watched anyways) finished him off on the C'Mon Man segment during Monday Night Countdown. Carter not only highlighted every single drop from Sunday, but then rolled tape of himself hanging out with Hakeem Nicks and catching passes in a dome, with nobody around, and really no other circumstances involving the situation. This wasn't a typical C'Mon Man segment. Not even close. This was a flat out attempt to embarrass Johnson even more for his drops and for that, Cris Carter is an absolute joke. Keyshawn Johnson highlighted several key drops for his fellow USC Trojans on the weekend and that was that. He didn't then roll highlights of himself catching balls over the weekend and drag them through the mud even more. But hey, I guess Carter has to do what he has to do to feel good about himself. Maybe one day he'll get in the Hall of Fame and that will take away some of his pain from making a whopping zero Super Bowl appearances in his career.
All of this is why I've enforced a self-imposed ban on ESPN for the rest of the week. I can't stomach it anymore. I used to laugh and roll my eyes when they'd be going on about T.O., but I think I've hit my breaking point this week. We'll see how it goes but there is a chance this lasts longer than a week. I watch the games, so I know what happens on Sunday. I read enough during the week to catch up on the news. I follow enough people on Twitter to get updates without ignorant opinions. And it's not like ESPN even bothers with the NHL, so I won't be missing out on anything there either.
As for Stevie, he'll be fine. He'll learn from his Twitter mistake and I'm sure it won't happen again. He has the support of the Bills organization, including Ryan Fitzpatrick and his teammates. He also has the support from the real fans and that's all that matters. I just hope Stevie saw what Carter said and did on TV Monday night because last time I checked; the Bills play Carter's former team in his former home. Should be interesting. Hey Cris, why so serious?
Bills vs Bears Preview/NFL Picks
11/05/2010 | Posted by
Devin
Are the Chicago Bears the worst four win team in the NFL right now?
(Nodding head)
Ok, maybe they aren't the worst in the league. Thanks to parity in the NFL, there are actually nine teams with four wins right now, so it's tough to argue that Chicago is the worst of the bunch, but they should definitely be in the discussion. Let's take a look at their schedule so far.
Chicago beat Detroit in Week One, 19-14, thanks to the crazy ruling on Calvin Johnson's non-touchdown. Basically, they stole a win, and I highly doubt Chicago fans would argue that point. They then traveled to Dallas in Week Two, which was impressive at the time, until we all realized how terrible the Cowboys are this year. Next was a victory against the Packers in the "chuck it up and pray for pass interference game" that Green Bay handed the Bears.
(For the record, I wrote about the Lions and Packers game after it happened and felt the same way at that time as well.)
Chicago then got their first loss against the Giants, where Jeff George v2.0 was sacked 10 times and eventually knocked out of the game. Da Bears bounced back with a 23-6 win over Carolina, who I've already established as one of the worst teams in the league. In that game, Matt Forte ran for 166 yards, which is the only game this season where a Bears' running back eclipsed the 100 yard mark. To be fair, nobody for the Bills has accomplished that yet. BUT, in that same game, backup QB Todd Collins only threw for 32 yards, 22 of those going to Forte. I actually had no idea that was possible. In the last two games, Chicago lost two home games to Seattle and Washington, while gaining a high of 31 yards and 41 yards in each game.
So here they sit. 4-3 and a half game out of first place in the NFC North. I suppose two advantages Chicago has this week is that they had a full two weeks to prepare for the only winless team remaining in the NFL and that the game will be played on a neutral field. Other than that, I've got nothing.
As you may have read in my Bills and Chiefs review, was the Bills alarming lack of turnovers. Well, if there is a week for them to break out of that, it's this week against Chicago. Jay Cutler has thrown for seven touchdowns and seven interceptions this season, so it's not like they'll be facing an elite QB. Of course, they somehow failed to pick Matt Cassel off, so I guess I shouldn't assume anything anymore with the Bills' secondary. Still, there isn't a whole lot that has me enamored with the Bears right now.
In two fewer games; Ryan Fitzpatrick has 283 fewer passing yards, five more touchdowns and two fewer interceptions than the above mentioned Jay Cutler. Advantage: Bills
With 90 rushing attempts this season, Matt Forte has accumulated 352 yards to Fred Jackson's 297 in 75 carries. Advantage: Push
Chicago's leading wide receiver, Johnny Knox, has 24 receptions and one touchdown on the season. Buffalo has three receivers (Evans, Parrish, Johnson), who all have more receptions and touchdowns individually. Ok, Parrish only has the one touchdown, so he's tied with Knox. Johnson and Evans have six and four respectively though. Advantage: Bills
Chicago's Robbie Gould is 12/14 on field goal attempts this season, while Rian Lindell is 9/12, so that advantage goes to Chicago. Although, they'll be kicking in a dome so who really cares.
Buffalo and Chicago both have returners who can break a kick or punt all the way, but Chicago currently employs the best in the league and maybe ever in Devin Hester (The U!), so Chicago also gets this advantage. For the record, I'm full blown scared of Hester. If Lindell wanted to kick every ball out of bounds and give Chicago the ball at the 40, I wouldn't have a problem with it.
The Bears have forced way more turnovers than the Bills, but I think we've already established time and time again that the Bills defense is one of the worst ever. No surprise there. However, the Bills' pass defense is statistically better in terms of average yards allowed per game, so that should count for something. Still, Chicago has the better defense.
It will be interesting to see how one of the worst running offenses in the league matches up with the league's worst run defense. I have no idea what will happen. Buffalo could actually stop them and look competent. Chicago could run wild and tease Forte's fantasy owners. The Earth could literally explode. Everything is in play with this one.
Overall, I'm picking the Bills to win. They're due. They've gone to overtime in both of the last two weeks and fell just short to much better teams than Chicago. There will be no weather affecting the teams, which is a much bigger advantage for Fitzpatrick than it is for Cutler. My only hesitation in picking Buffalo is the fact that they haven't won a regular season game in Toronto since this whole debacle started a few years ago. And really, if that's the only thing stopping me from picking Buffalo, then I'm picking Buffalo. As bad as I want the number one pick in the draft (which I absolutely do), I want Buffalo to get that one win so we can't stop debating if they'll actually go 0-16. One win isn't going to kill their chances. Just do it. Now. Please. I'm begging.
Here are my other Week 9 picks:
Tampa Bay @ Atlanta
New England @ Cleveland
NY Jets @ Detroit
Arizona @ Minnesota
New Orleans @ Carolina
Miami @ Baltimore
San Diego @ Houston
NY Giants @ Seattle
Kansas City @ Oakland
Indianapolis @ Philadelphia
Dallas @ Green Bay
Pittsburgh @ Cincinnati
Last Week: 7-6
Season: 69-48
Scott's Picks:
Tampa Bay @ Atlanta
Chicago @ Buffalo (TOR)
New England @ Cleveland
NY Jets @ Detroit
Arizona @ Minnesota
New Orleans @ Carolina
Miami @ Baltimore
San Diego @ Houston
NY Giants @ Seattle
Kansas City @ Oakland
Indianapolis @ Philadelphia
Dallas @ Green Bay
Pittsburgh @ Cincinnati
Last Week: 8-5
Season: 70-47
(Nodding head)
Ok, maybe they aren't the worst in the league. Thanks to parity in the NFL, there are actually nine teams with four wins right now, so it's tough to argue that Chicago is the worst of the bunch, but they should definitely be in the discussion. Let's take a look at their schedule so far.
Chicago beat Detroit in Week One, 19-14, thanks to the crazy ruling on Calvin Johnson's non-touchdown. Basically, they stole a win, and I highly doubt Chicago fans would argue that point. They then traveled to Dallas in Week Two, which was impressive at the time, until we all realized how terrible the Cowboys are this year. Next was a victory against the Packers in the "chuck it up and pray for pass interference game" that Green Bay handed the Bears.
(For the record, I wrote about the Lions and Packers game after it happened and felt the same way at that time as well.)
Chicago then got their first loss against the Giants, where Jeff George v2.0 was sacked 10 times and eventually knocked out of the game. Da Bears bounced back with a 23-6 win over Carolina, who I've already established as one of the worst teams in the league. In that game, Matt Forte ran for 166 yards, which is the only game this season where a Bears' running back eclipsed the 100 yard mark. To be fair, nobody for the Bills has accomplished that yet. BUT, in that same game, backup QB Todd Collins only threw for 32 yards, 22 of those going to Forte. I actually had no idea that was possible. In the last two games, Chicago lost two home games to Seattle and Washington, while gaining a high of 31 yards and 41 yards in each game.
So here they sit. 4-3 and a half game out of first place in the NFC North. I suppose two advantages Chicago has this week is that they had a full two weeks to prepare for the only winless team remaining in the NFL and that the game will be played on a neutral field. Other than that, I've got nothing.
As you may have read in my Bills and Chiefs review, was the Bills alarming lack of turnovers. Well, if there is a week for them to break out of that, it's this week against Chicago. Jay Cutler has thrown for seven touchdowns and seven interceptions this season, so it's not like they'll be facing an elite QB. Of course, they somehow failed to pick Matt Cassel off, so I guess I shouldn't assume anything anymore with the Bills' secondary. Still, there isn't a whole lot that has me enamored with the Bears right now.
In two fewer games; Ryan Fitzpatrick has 283 fewer passing yards, five more touchdowns and two fewer interceptions than the above mentioned Jay Cutler. Advantage: Bills
With 90 rushing attempts this season, Matt Forte has accumulated 352 yards to Fred Jackson's 297 in 75 carries. Advantage: Push
Chicago's Robbie Gould is 12/14 on field goal attempts this season, while Rian Lindell is 9/12, so that advantage goes to Chicago. Although, they'll be kicking in a dome so who really cares.
Buffalo and Chicago both have returners who can break a kick or punt all the way, but Chicago currently employs the best in the league and maybe ever in Devin Hester (The U!), so Chicago also gets this advantage. For the record, I'm full blown scared of Hester. If Lindell wanted to kick every ball out of bounds and give Chicago the ball at the 40, I wouldn't have a problem with it.
The Bears have forced way more turnovers than the Bills, but I think we've already established time and time again that the Bills defense is one of the worst ever. No surprise there. However, the Bills' pass defense is statistically better in terms of average yards allowed per game, so that should count for something. Still, Chicago has the better defense.
It will be interesting to see how one of the worst running offenses in the league matches up with the league's worst run defense. I have no idea what will happen. Buffalo could actually stop them and look competent. Chicago could run wild and tease Forte's fantasy owners. The Earth could literally explode. Everything is in play with this one.
Overall, I'm picking the Bills to win. They're due. They've gone to overtime in both of the last two weeks and fell just short to much better teams than Chicago. There will be no weather affecting the teams, which is a much bigger advantage for Fitzpatrick than it is for Cutler. My only hesitation in picking Buffalo is the fact that they haven't won a regular season game in Toronto since this whole debacle started a few years ago. And really, if that's the only thing stopping me from picking Buffalo, then I'm picking Buffalo. As bad as I want the number one pick in the draft (which I absolutely do), I want Buffalo to get that one win so we can't stop debating if they'll actually go 0-16. One win isn't going to kill their chances. Just do it. Now. Please. I'm begging.
Here are my other Week 9 picks:
Tampa Bay @ Atlanta
New England @ Cleveland
NY Jets @ Detroit
Arizona @ Minnesota
New Orleans @ Carolina
Miami @ Baltimore
San Diego @ Houston
NY Giants @ Seattle
Kansas City @ Oakland
Indianapolis @ Philadelphia
Dallas @ Green Bay
Pittsburgh @ Cincinnati
Last Week: 7-6
Season: 69-48
Scott's Picks:
Tampa Bay @ Atlanta
Chicago @ Buffalo (TOR)
New England @ Cleveland
NY Jets @ Detroit
Arizona @ Minnesota
New Orleans @ Carolina
Miami @ Baltimore
San Diego @ Houston
NY Giants @ Seattle
Kansas City @ Oakland
Indianapolis @ Philadelphia
Dallas @ Green Bay
Pittsburgh @ Cincinnati
Last Week: 8-5
Season: 70-47
Bills vs Chiefs Review/ NFL Top 10
11/02/2010 | Posted by
Devin
Before I get to my usual routine, there are a few things worth mentioning first.
One, the Bills are not the worst team in the league. I'm 100% convinced of this. I know their record would tell you they're the worst, but I really believe there are about five other teams that could be thrown into that discussion. Records don't always dictate a clear picture of who is better than who. For more on that, read my comments below about Kansas City in the top ten.
Two, after news broke that Randy Moss was waived by Minnesota, it started a flood of message board experts claiming that the Bills should go after him (since they have top priority on waivers). I don't think I can actually make my font big enough to express how I feel, but the Bills claiming Randy Moss would be the single dumbest thing they've done since they gave Dick Jauron a contract extension. As I tell you below in my 'good' section, the Bills receivers have been one of the bright spots for the team this year. What would bringing Randy Moss to Buffalo accomplish? He's got a major attitude (it's no accident that New England traded him and now Minnesota waived him), he's a free agent at the end of the season, the Bills have no shot at the playoffs and he would take away valuable reps that Stevie Johnson and Roscoe Parrish are getting. I'm so against this that I'm actually pounding my fist on the desk. Anybody that thinks Buffalo should do this needs their head examined. Now.
The Good: The Bills receivers (Johnson, Evans, Parris), The Bills' third down efficiency
Ryan Fitzpatrick struggled for the most part on Sunday, which is to be expected because he is what he is. For as much as I've praised him so far this season, I feel that I've also said time and time again that he has his bad moments and this is why he isn't the long-term answer at QB for the Bills. I think he'll serve as a great mentor to a rookie QB next season and he knows his place with the team. Despite his struggles yesterday, the combo of Parrish, Evans and Johnson hauled in 14 receptions for 159 yards and one touchdown. Parrish had one of the bigger plays of the game with a 37 yard reception on third and long, but Johnson had the biggest with a fourth and goal and the game on the line touchdown reception.
I honestly can't say enough about Stevie Johnson right now. He has caught at least one touchdown in five straight games. I'd be hard pressed to remember when a Bills' receiver has consistently performed like this, and that isn't even factoring in the whole 7th round pick. It's pretty impressive to say the least. Plus he wants to be called Stevie. I like that.
Roscoe Parrish now has 26 receptions on the season and is nine shy of a career best. This is a credit to Chan Gailey, even though I know people feel like bashing the guy to no end right now. Parrish also had a huge 33 yard punt return near the end of the game that should've helped seal the victory, but alas, the Bills found another way to lose (which is fine by me in the grand scheme of things).
Another overlooked stat in yesterday's game was the Bills going 11/23 on third down conversions. For a team that typically got to third and long and just assumed they'd punt the ball away, Buffalo has been converting their fair share of third downs lately. For the overall season, Buffalo is 37/97 on third down. To put this into perspective, the Chicago Bears have converted 15/84 third downs for the ENTIRE 2010 SEASON. Seriously. Think about it. Buffalo converted four less third down opportunities on Sunday than the Bears have in seven games.
The Bad: Ryan Fitzpatrick, Todd Haley, Rian Lindell, Brian Moorman
Overall, Fitzpatrick didn't have an awful day. He threw for 223 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Considering what we've seen for the past decade, not terrible. But he was off his game for most of the first half and pretty much blew the game when he badly overthrew C.J. Spiller in overtime. Spiller was split wide and beat his guy by a solid 10 yards and had the game won, but Fitzpatrick missed him and it wasn't even close. Those are the throws someone like Andrew Luck might make. Just thought I'd throw that out there.
I'm not going to hammer Chain Gailey for his play calling like most people want to do. I've seen a lot of criticism of Gailey for his pass-happy routine near the end of the game. I'm assuming most of those people just didn't see the entire game. To want him to run the ball and get in field goal position is assuming the Bills would be able to run the ball. Fred Jackson was averaging 3.2 yards per carry and I highly doubt he would've moved the ball very much near the end. And somehow throughout all of this, it's like most people didn't even notice what Todd Haley was doing.
This guy isn't even on the same planet during the game. With the score tied 0-0 in the second quarter, he threw away an easy field goal opportunity to go for it on fourth down and the Chiefs turned the ball over. Look, I'm all for gutsy coaching and taking chances, but not in a close game in the second quarter. As it turns out, overtime could've been avoided had he taken the points. Also worth noting; Jamaal Charles averaged eight yards per carry on 22 carries, yet Haley continued to let Matt Cassel throw the ball. Cassel is awful. I'm convinced the Chiefs win despite him and I'm pretty sure the same can be said for Haley. If Kansas City makes the playoffs (most likely), Haley will no doubt cost them a game with his decisions.
I really do like Rian Lindell so I'll keep this short and sweet. Bottom line, his missed kick in overtime cost the Bills the win. I won't put it on his shoulders since the game could've been over several times before that, but it needs to be mentioned. Now he did make it the first time, but the stupid timeout rule came into effect and he missed his second try. Overall I think Lindell is one of the most consistent kickers in the game and rarely gets credit because he plays for Buffalo. It's also worth mentioning that Kansas City's field looked like a sandbox by the end of the game and the winds were swirling like crazy, so it's not like the 53 yard kick was a chip-shot by any means. Again, worth bringing up but I'm in no way blaming Lindell for yesterday.
Same goes for Moorman. He's largely looked at as the best Bills' player of the decade. Sad, isn't it? But with a tie game looking like a real possibility, Moorman shanked the punt and gave Kansas City decent field position to drive down and win it. I'm pretty sure if he pins them inside the 15 yard line, Kansas City doesn't make it down in time.
The Ugly: Run defense, lack of turnovers
I think by now we've established how bad the Bills' run defense is. I said a few weeks ago that teams should prepare for career days and yesterday was no exception. I said before the game that Kansas City would probably rush for 250 yards and I was close, they hit 274 by the end of the game. I'm seriously dreading the Minnesota game against Adrian Peterson. It gives me nightmares (not literally).
Also ugly, the fact that the Bills can't force any turnovers. And hey, it's not like they don't get a chance. George Wilson let a sure interception go right through his hands. At the time, Steve Tasker felt like mentioning on the CBS broadcast that defenders are typically defenders because they don't have the hands for offense. I guess the fact that Wilson is an ex-wide receiver didn't factor into that statement. Tasker is awful at what he does now. However, I digress. After having a boat-load of interceptions last season, the Bills have one this season. It's pretty bad. With Buffalo losing all these close games, you would have to think that a few turnovers here and there would really help their cause. Of course, actually winning the games rules out the chance at drafting Andrew Luck, so maybe they are doing us a favor and we just haven't realized it yet.
NFL Top 10
1. New England Patriots (3) – Here's a scary thought about New England. I think they are way better without Randy Moss. Yes, the offense was much more explosive with Moss, but New England didn't win their three Super Bowls with an explosive offense. And in fact, they lost their one Super Bowl with that explosive offense. When New England was winning championships, they were doing it with a bend but don't break defense and a dink and dunk offense. That is officially what they are right now and I'm frightened and how it's going to turn out.
2. New York Giants (4) – I think I'm half crazy to put an NFC team this high and I think the overall conference is so inferior, but it's hard to ignore that they are tops right now and riding a four game winning streak. So far my favorite part of the Giants' season has been the emergence of Hakeem Nicks in the fantasy world. It's been a pure delight.
3. Pittsburgh Steelers (1) – For sure, I thought Pittsburgh was the best team heading into Sunday night but I can't ignore an ugly loss to New Orleans. Keep in mind, Cleveland came into the Superdome exactly one week ago and hammered the Saints. The irony is off the charts for that one. Luckily they have Cincinnati coming up this week, so they should be able to get back on track with an easy win.
4. New York Jets (2) – If the Jets want to contend for a Super Bowl, getting shutout at home by Green Bay isn't really the way to do it. I'll be honest, with it being on at the same time as the Bills, I literally saw zero plays from this game. But judging by the numbers, it looks like The Sanchize had one of "those games" yesterday. Two games upcoming against Detroit and Cleveland should help right the ship though.
5. Baltimore Ravens (5) – I neglected to right about the Ravens game against Buffalo but it's the sole reason why I can't move them up. They were playing the league's worst run defense and still let Joe Flacco sling the ball all over the field. They also allowed over 500 yards at home to the Bills' offense. Maybe they didn't take the Bills seriously; it's a real possibility, but if left me less than convinced that they will take down Pittsburgh by the end of the season. They barely beat the Steelers by three points without Ben Roethlisberger. It's a fact that people are ignoring right now.
6. Indianapolis Colts (10) – As of right now, I feel that Indy is about fifth best team in the AFC, but I'd be hard pressed to pick against them in the playoffs. I'll be interested to see how they continue this season with all the mounting injuries. Rule of thumb: You can never rule out a QB as good as Peyton Manning.
7. Atlanta Falcons (8) – Atlanta controls their own destiny for the NFC South. There is no way I think Tampa Bay is for real and New Orleans is week to week at this point. I'd feel more confident in Atlanta had they not laid a huge egg against Philadelphia a few weeks ago. It's hard to trust them after that.
8. New Orleans (9) – New Orleans got a huge win against a very good Pittsburgh team, but I can't ignore the awful outing they had against Cleveland. It might not ruin their season, but it's a red flag in my eyes.
9. Houston Texans (6) – I'm not even sure why I'm ranking Houston in the top 10 anymore. The last three years Houston has finished 8-8, 8-8 and 9-7. I really don't think I have any reason to think they'll be a double digit win team this season.
10. Kansas City Chiefs (NR) – I think it would be wrong to not include Kansas City at 5-2, but I honestly don't totally feel that they are worthy of the 10 spot. It took them 75 minutes yesterday to score 13 points against the league's worst running defense. Jamaal Charles ran for 177 yards, so they let Matt Cassel throw the ball. Dwayne Bowe dropped a sure touchdown in the first quarter. Todd Haley is insane. Raiders, Broncos, Cardinals, Seahawks, Broncos, Chargers, Ram, Titans and Raiders. Seriously, have you ever seen an easier schedule? They might be the worst 13-3 team to make the playoffs ever. Their wins this year have been against the Chargers, Browns, 49ers, Jaguars and Bills. Combined record: 11-27. Their two losses came against Indianapolis and Houston. Combined record: 8-4. You be the judge.
Just Missing Out: Philadelphia, Green Bay, Oakland (?)
Teams I didn't consider for .0001 of a second: Minnesota, Buffalo, Denver, Dallas
Bills future QB Update (in the ever-changing order that I like them):
1. Andrew Luck – 19/26, 192 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT (Season: 1920 yards, 20 TDs, 6 INTs)
2. Christian Ponder – 17/28, 196 yards, 1 TD (Season: 1383 yards, 13 TDs, 7 INTs)
3. Ryan Mallett – 27/44, 409 yards, 3 TDs (Season: 2449 yards, 18 TDs, 7 INTs)
4. Jake Locker – 7/14, 64 yards, 2 INTs (Season: 1678 yards, 14 TDs, 6 INTs)
One, the Bills are not the worst team in the league. I'm 100% convinced of this. I know their record would tell you they're the worst, but I really believe there are about five other teams that could be thrown into that discussion. Records don't always dictate a clear picture of who is better than who. For more on that, read my comments below about Kansas City in the top ten.
Two, after news broke that Randy Moss was waived by Minnesota, it started a flood of message board experts claiming that the Bills should go after him (since they have top priority on waivers). I don't think I can actually make my font big enough to express how I feel, but the Bills claiming Randy Moss would be the single dumbest thing they've done since they gave Dick Jauron a contract extension. As I tell you below in my 'good' section, the Bills receivers have been one of the bright spots for the team this year. What would bringing Randy Moss to Buffalo accomplish? He's got a major attitude (it's no accident that New England traded him and now Minnesota waived him), he's a free agent at the end of the season, the Bills have no shot at the playoffs and he would take away valuable reps that Stevie Johnson and Roscoe Parrish are getting. I'm so against this that I'm actually pounding my fist on the desk. Anybody that thinks Buffalo should do this needs their head examined. Now.
The Good: The Bills receivers (Johnson, Evans, Parris), The Bills' third down efficiency
I honestly can't say enough about Stevie Johnson right now. He has caught at least one touchdown in five straight games. I'd be hard pressed to remember when a Bills' receiver has consistently performed like this, and that isn't even factoring in the whole 7th round pick. It's pretty impressive to say the least. Plus he wants to be called Stevie. I like that.
Roscoe Parrish now has 26 receptions on the season and is nine shy of a career best. This is a credit to Chan Gailey, even though I know people feel like bashing the guy to no end right now. Parrish also had a huge 33 yard punt return near the end of the game that should've helped seal the victory, but alas, the Bills found another way to lose (which is fine by me in the grand scheme of things).
Another overlooked stat in yesterday's game was the Bills going 11/23 on third down conversions. For a team that typically got to third and long and just assumed they'd punt the ball away, Buffalo has been converting their fair share of third downs lately. For the overall season, Buffalo is 37/97 on third down. To put this into perspective, the Chicago Bears have converted 15/84 third downs for the ENTIRE 2010 SEASON. Seriously. Think about it. Buffalo converted four less third down opportunities on Sunday than the Bears have in seven games.
The Bad: Ryan Fitzpatrick, Todd Haley, Rian Lindell, Brian Moorman
Overall, Fitzpatrick didn't have an awful day. He threw for 223 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Considering what we've seen for the past decade, not terrible. But he was off his game for most of the first half and pretty much blew the game when he badly overthrew C.J. Spiller in overtime. Spiller was split wide and beat his guy by a solid 10 yards and had the game won, but Fitzpatrick missed him and it wasn't even close. Those are the throws someone like Andrew Luck might make. Just thought I'd throw that out there.
I'm not going to hammer Chain Gailey for his play calling like most people want to do. I've seen a lot of criticism of Gailey for his pass-happy routine near the end of the game. I'm assuming most of those people just didn't see the entire game. To want him to run the ball and get in field goal position is assuming the Bills would be able to run the ball. Fred Jackson was averaging 3.2 yards per carry and I highly doubt he would've moved the ball very much near the end. And somehow throughout all of this, it's like most people didn't even notice what Todd Haley was doing.
This guy isn't even on the same planet during the game. With the score tied 0-0 in the second quarter, he threw away an easy field goal opportunity to go for it on fourth down and the Chiefs turned the ball over. Look, I'm all for gutsy coaching and taking chances, but not in a close game in the second quarter. As it turns out, overtime could've been avoided had he taken the points. Also worth noting; Jamaal Charles averaged eight yards per carry on 22 carries, yet Haley continued to let Matt Cassel throw the ball. Cassel is awful. I'm convinced the Chiefs win despite him and I'm pretty sure the same can be said for Haley. If Kansas City makes the playoffs (most likely), Haley will no doubt cost them a game with his decisions.
I really do like Rian Lindell so I'll keep this short and sweet. Bottom line, his missed kick in overtime cost the Bills the win. I won't put it on his shoulders since the game could've been over several times before that, but it needs to be mentioned. Now he did make it the first time, but the stupid timeout rule came into effect and he missed his second try. Overall I think Lindell is one of the most consistent kickers in the game and rarely gets credit because he plays for Buffalo. It's also worth mentioning that Kansas City's field looked like a sandbox by the end of the game and the winds were swirling like crazy, so it's not like the 53 yard kick was a chip-shot by any means. Again, worth bringing up but I'm in no way blaming Lindell for yesterday.
Same goes for Moorman. He's largely looked at as the best Bills' player of the decade. Sad, isn't it? But with a tie game looking like a real possibility, Moorman shanked the punt and gave Kansas City decent field position to drive down and win it. I'm pretty sure if he pins them inside the 15 yard line, Kansas City doesn't make it down in time.
The Ugly: Run defense, lack of turnovers
I think by now we've established how bad the Bills' run defense is. I said a few weeks ago that teams should prepare for career days and yesterday was no exception. I said before the game that Kansas City would probably rush for 250 yards and I was close, they hit 274 by the end of the game. I'm seriously dreading the Minnesota game against Adrian Peterson. It gives me nightmares (not literally).
Also ugly, the fact that the Bills can't force any turnovers. And hey, it's not like they don't get a chance. George Wilson let a sure interception go right through his hands. At the time, Steve Tasker felt like mentioning on the CBS broadcast that defenders are typically defenders because they don't have the hands for offense. I guess the fact that Wilson is an ex-wide receiver didn't factor into that statement. Tasker is awful at what he does now. However, I digress. After having a boat-load of interceptions last season, the Bills have one this season. It's pretty bad. With Buffalo losing all these close games, you would have to think that a few turnovers here and there would really help their cause. Of course, actually winning the games rules out the chance at drafting Andrew Luck, so maybe they are doing us a favor and we just haven't realized it yet.
NFL Top 10
2. New York Giants (4) – I think I'm half crazy to put an NFC team this high and I think the overall conference is so inferior, but it's hard to ignore that they are tops right now and riding a four game winning streak. So far my favorite part of the Giants' season has been the emergence of Hakeem Nicks in the fantasy world. It's been a pure delight.
3. Pittsburgh Steelers (1) – For sure, I thought Pittsburgh was the best team heading into Sunday night but I can't ignore an ugly loss to New Orleans. Keep in mind, Cleveland came into the Superdome exactly one week ago and hammered the Saints. The irony is off the charts for that one. Luckily they have Cincinnati coming up this week, so they should be able to get back on track with an easy win.
4. New York Jets (2) – If the Jets want to contend for a Super Bowl, getting shutout at home by Green Bay isn't really the way to do it. I'll be honest, with it being on at the same time as the Bills, I literally saw zero plays from this game. But judging by the numbers, it looks like The Sanchize had one of "those games" yesterday. Two games upcoming against Detroit and Cleveland should help right the ship though.
5. Baltimore Ravens (5) – I neglected to right about the Ravens game against Buffalo but it's the sole reason why I can't move them up. They were playing the league's worst run defense and still let Joe Flacco sling the ball all over the field. They also allowed over 500 yards at home to the Bills' offense. Maybe they didn't take the Bills seriously; it's a real possibility, but if left me less than convinced that they will take down Pittsburgh by the end of the season. They barely beat the Steelers by three points without Ben Roethlisberger. It's a fact that people are ignoring right now.
6. Indianapolis Colts (10) – As of right now, I feel that Indy is about fifth best team in the AFC, but I'd be hard pressed to pick against them in the playoffs. I'll be interested to see how they continue this season with all the mounting injuries. Rule of thumb: You can never rule out a QB as good as Peyton Manning.
7. Atlanta Falcons (8) – Atlanta controls their own destiny for the NFC South. There is no way I think Tampa Bay is for real and New Orleans is week to week at this point. I'd feel more confident in Atlanta had they not laid a huge egg against Philadelphia a few weeks ago. It's hard to trust them after that.
8. New Orleans (9) – New Orleans got a huge win against a very good Pittsburgh team, but I can't ignore the awful outing they had against Cleveland. It might not ruin their season, but it's a red flag in my eyes.
9. Houston Texans (6) – I'm not even sure why I'm ranking Houston in the top 10 anymore. The last three years Houston has finished 8-8, 8-8 and 9-7. I really don't think I have any reason to think they'll be a double digit win team this season.
10. Kansas City Chiefs (NR) – I think it would be wrong to not include Kansas City at 5-2, but I honestly don't totally feel that they are worthy of the 10 spot. It took them 75 minutes yesterday to score 13 points against the league's worst running defense. Jamaal Charles ran for 177 yards, so they let Matt Cassel throw the ball. Dwayne Bowe dropped a sure touchdown in the first quarter. Todd Haley is insane. Raiders, Broncos, Cardinals, Seahawks, Broncos, Chargers, Ram, Titans and Raiders. Seriously, have you ever seen an easier schedule? They might be the worst 13-3 team to make the playoffs ever. Their wins this year have been against the Chargers, Browns, 49ers, Jaguars and Bills. Combined record: 11-27. Their two losses came against Indianapolis and Houston. Combined record: 8-4. You be the judge.
Just Missing Out: Philadelphia, Green Bay, Oakland (?)
Teams I didn't consider for .0001 of a second: Minnesota, Buffalo, Denver, Dallas
Bills future QB Update (in the ever-changing order that I like them):
1. Andrew Luck – 19/26, 192 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT (Season: 1920 yards, 20 TDs, 6 INTs)
2. Christian Ponder – 17/28, 196 yards, 1 TD (Season: 1383 yards, 13 TDs, 7 INTs)
3. Ryan Mallett – 27/44, 409 yards, 3 TDs (Season: 2449 yards, 18 TDs, 7 INTs)
4. Jake Locker – 7/14, 64 yards, 2 INTs (Season: 1678 yards, 14 TDs, 6 INTs)
Bills vs Ravens Preview/NFL Week 7 Picks
10/21/2010 | Posted by
Devin
"It's gonna be rough on Buffalo." – Ray Lewis
Baltimore heads into this week at 4-2 and rather angry, as you can tell by the above quote. I have a
problem with the quote itself, which I suppose I can address right now.
I understand it's because Baltimore is angry for blowing a 10 point lead in the fourth quarter at New England. I understand that. But the fact that Ray Lewis immediately called out Buffalo reminded me of what a bully would do to the losers in high school. Maybe Lewis would've been better off saying, "We couldn't handle New England, AGAIN, so we're gonna come home and beat down on the lowly Bills so we can feel better about ourselves." Essentially that's what he said. But whatever. I guess that's what happens when you're one of the worst teams in the league. Hold on while I go beat up a 10 year old and steal his lunch money.
Okay, I'm back. Baltimore might be one of the best 4-2 teams in the league considering their schedule so far. They've lost the two games by a combined eight points. Also, both losses were on the road. Among their wins were road victories against the Jets and Steelers, two of the best teams in the league. I don't know who makes these schedules but someone slighted Baltimore with two home games and four away to start the season. Then again, with a home game against Buffalo, it all evens out.
We might have forgotten this over the bye week, but Buffalo returns to the field with virtually no strengths. As if I needed a reminder on this, I read this quote on Wednesday from an article on Buffalo Rumblings about Buffalo's Heavy-Front Run Defense:
So let me get this straight. The Bills developed a "new" defensive "strategy" specifically aimed at stopped the run and somehow still allowed 216 yards rushing. AND it will continued to be used going forward? Gee, I wonder why the Bills will be drafting first overall this April.
This game will also rub a little salt in the wound for bitter Bills fans as Baltimore currently employs Haloti Ngata and Michael Oher. For those that may not remember, the Bills passed on Ngata for the opportunity to draft the biggest mouth on Twitter. Oher was taken in the first round in 2009, but Buffalo opted to draft Aaron Maybin instead. That sound you hear is the city of Buffalo throwing up right now.
Despite all the Bills bashing I did above, the game might be a little closer than people think. The Vegas line is currently at -13 for Baltimore, which I think is a little high. The Ravens have only won one game by more than 10 points this season. The others were by one, three and seven. The game against Cleveland was by seven, which makes me believe the Bills can at least keep this somewhat close.
I know that the Ravens have the reputation as a great defensive team, but this isn't the same Baltimore team that took home the Lombardi Trophy based on their defense. In their game against Cleveland, the Ravens allowed Peyton Hillis to run for 144 yards on 22 carries. Last week against New England, Danny Woodhead ran for 63 yards on 11 carries. I'm no expert, but couldn't Fred Jackson and C.J. Spiller chew up some yardage and clock against this defense?
Here is where the game will get ugly. The Bills are dead last in the league, allowing an average of 182.4 yards per game on the ground. I foresee a huge day for Ray Rice and when he's tired, go ahead and toss Willis McGahee into the game. Willis isn't the back he was in the past, but don't you think he'll be a little amped up for this game? If you think he doesn't still hate Buffalo, you're fooling yourself. Both of these backs are going to go off on Sunday.
Buffalo hasn't been great against the pass either, but luckily for them, Joe Flacco isn't exactly lighting up opposing defenses this year. Flacco has yet to eclipse the 300 yard mark in a game this season, which puts him in perfect company with every Bills QB from the past three years. In fact, Flacco has thrown for 1401 yards, seven touchdowns and six interceptions in six games this season. In half the amount of games, Ryan Fitzpatrick has thrown for 595 yards, seven touchdowns and two interceptions.
With all of this being said, the Bills still aren't going to win the game. In fact, I think I just spent the previous four previous paragraphs convincing myself that Buffalo will simply cover the spread. What can I say? It's been a fun 2010 season for Buffalo so far.
Prediction: Baltimore 31, Buffalo 20.
My other NFL Picks (in bold):
Cincinnati @ Atlanta
Washington @ Chicago
Philadelphia @ Tennessee
Jacksonville @ Kansas City
Pittsburgh @ Miami
Cleveland @ New Orleans
St. Louis @ Tampa Bay
San Francisco @ Carolina
Arizona @ Seattle
New England @ San Diego
Oakland @ Denver
Minnesota @ Green Bay
NY Giants @ Dallas
Last Week: 8-6
Entire Season: 52-36
Scott's Picks:
Cincinnati @ Atlanta
Washington @ Chicago
Philadelphia @ Tennessee
Jacksonville @ Kansas City
Pittsburgh @ Miami
Cleveland @ New Orleans
St. Louis @ Tampa Bay
San Francisco @ Carolina
Buffalo @ Baltimore
Arizona @ Seattle
New England @ San Diego
Oakland @ Denver
Minnesota @ Green Bay
NY Giants @ Dallas
Last Week: 9-5
Entire Season: 53-35
Fantasy Update: Thanks to Jeff Fisher, Chris Johnson and the other Titans for running up the score in a blowout; I'm now losing 2-1 in our fantasy bet. That's right; Scott beat me in the one league we're close in because the Titans had to go for it on 4th and 5 with under two minutes remaining in a 23-3 game. Whatever.
Baltimore heads into this week at 4-2 and rather angry, as you can tell by the above quote. I have a
problem with the quote itself, which I suppose I can address right now. I understand it's because Baltimore is angry for blowing a 10 point lead in the fourth quarter at New England. I understand that. But the fact that Ray Lewis immediately called out Buffalo reminded me of what a bully would do to the losers in high school. Maybe Lewis would've been better off saying, "We couldn't handle New England, AGAIN, so we're gonna come home and beat down on the lowly Bills so we can feel better about ourselves." Essentially that's what he said. But whatever. I guess that's what happens when you're one of the worst teams in the league. Hold on while I go beat up a 10 year old and steal his lunch money.
Okay, I'm back. Baltimore might be one of the best 4-2 teams in the league considering their schedule so far. They've lost the two games by a combined eight points. Also, both losses were on the road. Among their wins were road victories against the Jets and Steelers, two of the best teams in the league. I don't know who makes these schedules but someone slighted Baltimore with two home games and four away to start the season. Then again, with a home game against Buffalo, it all evens out.
We might have forgotten this over the bye week, but Buffalo returns to the field with virtually no strengths. As if I needed a reminder on this, I read this quote on Wednesday from an article on Buffalo Rumblings about Buffalo's Heavy-Front Run Defense:
In a Week 5 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Buffalo Bills unveiled a new "heavy" run defensive front designed to help shore up the league's worst run defense. Though the Jags still ran for 216 yards in a 36-26 victory, the heavy package will apparently remain a part of coordinator George Edwards' defensive arsenal moving forward.WHAT?!?!
So let me get this straight. The Bills developed a "new" defensive "strategy" specifically aimed at stopped the run and somehow still allowed 216 yards rushing. AND it will continued to be used going forward? Gee, I wonder why the Bills will be drafting first overall this April.
This game will also rub a little salt in the wound for bitter Bills fans as Baltimore currently employs Haloti Ngata and Michael Oher. For those that may not remember, the Bills passed on Ngata for the opportunity to draft the biggest mouth on Twitter. Oher was taken in the first round in 2009, but Buffalo opted to draft Aaron Maybin instead. That sound you hear is the city of Buffalo throwing up right now.
Despite all the Bills bashing I did above, the game might be a little closer than people think. The Vegas line is currently at -13 for Baltimore, which I think is a little high. The Ravens have only won one game by more than 10 points this season. The others were by one, three and seven. The game against Cleveland was by seven, which makes me believe the Bills can at least keep this somewhat close.
I know that the Ravens have the reputation as a great defensive team, but this isn't the same Baltimore team that took home the Lombardi Trophy based on their defense. In their game against Cleveland, the Ravens allowed Peyton Hillis to run for 144 yards on 22 carries. Last week against New England, Danny Woodhead ran for 63 yards on 11 carries. I'm no expert, but couldn't Fred Jackson and C.J. Spiller chew up some yardage and clock against this defense?
Buffalo hasn't been great against the pass either, but luckily for them, Joe Flacco isn't exactly lighting up opposing defenses this year. Flacco has yet to eclipse the 300 yard mark in a game this season, which puts him in perfect company with every Bills QB from the past three years. In fact, Flacco has thrown for 1401 yards, seven touchdowns and six interceptions in six games this season. In half the amount of games, Ryan Fitzpatrick has thrown for 595 yards, seven touchdowns and two interceptions.
With all of this being said, the Bills still aren't going to win the game. In fact, I think I just spent the previous four previous paragraphs convincing myself that Buffalo will simply cover the spread. What can I say? It's been a fun 2010 season for Buffalo so far.
Prediction: Baltimore 31, Buffalo 20.
My other NFL Picks (in bold):
Cincinnati @ Atlanta
Washington @ Chicago
Philadelphia @ Tennessee
Jacksonville @ Kansas City
Pittsburgh @ Miami
Cleveland @ New Orleans
St. Louis @ Tampa Bay
San Francisco @ Carolina
Arizona @ Seattle
New England @ San Diego
Oakland @ Denver
Minnesota @ Green Bay
NY Giants @ Dallas
Last Week: 8-6
Entire Season: 52-36
Scott's Picks:
Cincinnati @ Atlanta
Washington @ Chicago
Philadelphia @ Tennessee
Jacksonville @ Kansas City
Pittsburgh @ Miami
Cleveland @ New Orleans
St. Louis @ Tampa Bay
San Francisco @ Carolina
Buffalo @ Baltimore
Arizona @ Seattle
New England @ San Diego
Oakland @ Denver
Minnesota @ Green Bay
NY Giants @ Dallas
Last Week: 9-5
Entire Season: 53-35
Fantasy Update: Thanks to Jeff Fisher, Chris Johnson and the other Titans for running up the score in a blowout; I'm now losing 2-1 in our fantasy bet. That's right; Scott beat me in the one league we're close in because the Titans had to go for it on 4th and 5 with under two minutes remaining in a 23-3 game. Whatever.
Bills vs Jaguars Review
10/12/2010 | Posted by
Devin
The irony was off the charts last Thursday when the Bills announced that Sunday’s home game against Jacksonville was going to be blacked out locally because they had somewhere between 10 and 12 thousand unsold tickets.
Of all teams to play against and not sell out, it just had to happen against the poster children for the NFL blackout rule. As most Bills fans know by now; the NFL was doing us a favor by blacking it out.
The Good: Ryan Fitzpatrick, Fred Jackson and Steve Johnson.
Fitzpatrick finished the game 20/30, 220 yards, three touchdowns and zero interceptions. No joke, I have a two QB fantasy team where I normally start Peyton Manning and Tom Brady. With Brady being on the bye, I actually picked Fitzpatrick up and he almost tripled Manning for the afternoon. Since taking over for awful Trent Edwards, Fitzpatrick has thrown for 595 yards, seven touchdowns and only two interceptions. The Bills really can’t ask much more out of Fitz. He has his moments, like when he horrendously botched two consecutive screen passes, but we also know what we’re getting from Fitz before heading into the game. To get the kind of production from him that we have, well, it’s been pretty amazing to be honest.
In his first full game as a starting RB this season, Jackson ran for 73 yards. So why is this good? Because he was only given the ball 12 times. 12 TIMES!! How is that even possible? Jackson averaged 6.1 yards per carry and looked downright dominant almost every time he touched the ball. So of course, let’s take it out of his hands. I’ve been giving Chan Gailey the benefit of the doubt for most of this season, but I’m starting to really doubt his play calling abilities.
Steve Johnson caught two more touchdown passes and now has four in the past three games. Not bad for a
seventh round pick that has been rarely used before this season. Especially considering that the Bills drafted James Hardy in the second round of the same draft. Johnson has now accounted for 50% of the Bills receiving touchdowns so far this season. The Bills haven’t had a receiver catch 10 or more touchdowns since Eric Moulds did it in the 2002 season. So needless to say, Johnson is on quite a pace for the Bills right now.
The Bad: The defense. They are really bad right now. They can’t stop the run. They can’t stop the pass. They get no pressure on the QB. They don’t force any turnovers. They literally can’t do anything defensively. If I’m calling plays for the Bills; I’m going for it on fourth down every single time because the defense isn’t stopping the other team anyways. But hey, let’s extend Chris Kelsay for another four years.
Also bad, the story about how the Bills didn’t shop Marshawn Lynch around enough. And by bad, I mean for anybody that believes that story. There were teams like Green Bay and Philadelphia that were rumored to be interested in Lynch. So when they didn’t get him, of course they’re going to say that the Bills didn’t shop him around enough. It’s called the blame game and they’re shifting the blame off themselves and on to the Bills. It’s an excuse to get the fans of their back. I know people think Buddy Nix isn’t a smart man, but do you really think he’s dumb enough to just take the first offer and not shop around? No, he isn’t. He wouldn’t have lasted a day in this league if that were the case. Give it a rest you idiots.
The Ugly: Yes, it’s the defense again. Since allowing 13 points to Miami on opening day, the Bills have since allowed 34, 38, 38 and 36 points in consecutive weeks. Even when the Bills offense can score points (and they have in two of the losses), they don’t even stand a chance because the Bills defense is just so friggin bad.
On average, they allow 182.4 yards per game on the ground. I can’t remember in my lifetime seeing a Bills team be so inept on defense. I’m being completely honest here. For everyone that plays fantasy football, you may want to consider adding whatever RB is facing the Bills that week (assuming they aren’t taken already). Here is a list of the RBs they’ll be facing in the upcoming weeks: Ray Rice/Willis McGahee, Jamaal Charles/Thomas Jones, Matt Forte, Jahvid Best, Cedric Benson, Rashard Mendenhall, Adrian Peterson, Peyton Hillis and the list goes on.
Seriously, Adrian Peterson is going to set the single game rushing mark against the Bills. I will bet anything on it. (Yes, I know he already has the record, he will break it again)
Of all teams to play against and not sell out, it just had to happen against the poster children for the NFL blackout rule. As most Bills fans know by now; the NFL was doing us a favor by blacking it out.
The Good: Ryan Fitzpatrick, Fred Jackson and Steve Johnson.
Fitzpatrick finished the game 20/30, 220 yards, three touchdowns and zero interceptions. No joke, I have a two QB fantasy team where I normally start Peyton Manning and Tom Brady. With Brady being on the bye, I actually picked Fitzpatrick up and he almost tripled Manning for the afternoon. Since taking over for awful Trent Edwards, Fitzpatrick has thrown for 595 yards, seven touchdowns and only two interceptions. The Bills really can’t ask much more out of Fitz. He has his moments, like when he horrendously botched two consecutive screen passes, but we also know what we’re getting from Fitz before heading into the game. To get the kind of production from him that we have, well, it’s been pretty amazing to be honest.
In his first full game as a starting RB this season, Jackson ran for 73 yards. So why is this good? Because he was only given the ball 12 times. 12 TIMES!! How is that even possible? Jackson averaged 6.1 yards per carry and looked downright dominant almost every time he touched the ball. So of course, let’s take it out of his hands. I’ve been giving Chan Gailey the benefit of the doubt for most of this season, but I’m starting to really doubt his play calling abilities.
Steve Johnson caught two more touchdown passes and now has four in the past three games. Not bad for a
seventh round pick that has been rarely used before this season. Especially considering that the Bills drafted James Hardy in the second round of the same draft. Johnson has now accounted for 50% of the Bills receiving touchdowns so far this season. The Bills haven’t had a receiver catch 10 or more touchdowns since Eric Moulds did it in the 2002 season. So needless to say, Johnson is on quite a pace for the Bills right now. The Bad: The defense. They are really bad right now. They can’t stop the run. They can’t stop the pass. They get no pressure on the QB. They don’t force any turnovers. They literally can’t do anything defensively. If I’m calling plays for the Bills; I’m going for it on fourth down every single time because the defense isn’t stopping the other team anyways. But hey, let’s extend Chris Kelsay for another four years.
Also bad, the story about how the Bills didn’t shop Marshawn Lynch around enough. And by bad, I mean for anybody that believes that story. There were teams like Green Bay and Philadelphia that were rumored to be interested in Lynch. So when they didn’t get him, of course they’re going to say that the Bills didn’t shop him around enough. It’s called the blame game and they’re shifting the blame off themselves and on to the Bills. It’s an excuse to get the fans of their back. I know people think Buddy Nix isn’t a smart man, but do you really think he’s dumb enough to just take the first offer and not shop around? No, he isn’t. He wouldn’t have lasted a day in this league if that were the case. Give it a rest you idiots.
The Ugly: Yes, it’s the defense again. Since allowing 13 points to Miami on opening day, the Bills have since allowed 34, 38, 38 and 36 points in consecutive weeks. Even when the Bills offense can score points (and they have in two of the losses), they don’t even stand a chance because the Bills defense is just so friggin bad.
On average, they allow 182.4 yards per game on the ground. I can’t remember in my lifetime seeing a Bills team be so inept on defense. I’m being completely honest here. For everyone that plays fantasy football, you may want to consider adding whatever RB is facing the Bills that week (assuming they aren’t taken already). Here is a list of the RBs they’ll be facing in the upcoming weeks: Ray Rice/Willis McGahee, Jamaal Charles/Thomas Jones, Matt Forte, Jahvid Best, Cedric Benson, Rashard Mendenhall, Adrian Peterson, Peyton Hillis and the list goes on.
Seriously, Adrian Peterson is going to set the single game rushing mark against the Bills. I will bet anything on it. (Yes, I know he already has the record, he will break it again)
End of an Era: Marshawn Lynch
10/05/2010 | Posted by
Devin
The Bills finally solved their three-headed running back situation on Tuesday by shipping Marshawn Lynch off to Seattle for a fourth round pick in 2011 and a conditional pick in 2012. On the surface, this is a good deal for the Bills, Seahawks and Lynch. Let me explain.
It was a good deal for the Bills because like I said above, it solves their running back situation. While running Lynch, they were taking carries away from Fred Jackson and C.J. Spiller. Now the Bills can effectively use Jackson as the number one back and let Spiller see some more action. On the surface, this is a great move. Although I suppose I have to remind everyone that the Bills are still terrible and it most likely won't make a huge difference.
The Bills also got a good return for Lynch. In terms of draft picks, the Bills might have been able to score a
third round pick, but that is very doubtful. So getting a fourth and a conditional is the next best thing. They also weren't going to get a player of any interest to help them this season. Keep in mind, this year has been renamed Operation Bottom Out. A draft pick is much more preferred over some random bench warmer. Let's just hope Buddy Nix uses the pick wisely. This was a good deal for Seattle because they just picked up a number one running back for a fourth round pick and a conditional pick. Small price to pay for a guy in his fourth year and ran for 1,000 yards in his first two. Besides Justin Forsett, there really isn't much going on in Seattle's backfield. Keep in mind, this is a division where 8-8 can win it, so Seattle needs to improve now and take advantage of the situation.
I'd be remiss in discussing Lynch if I didn't bring up his legal troubles. Lynch has had two run-ins with the law already and is most likely one more incident away from a year long suspension. So with that in mind, Seattle also took a bit of a risk. The way I see it, this lowered his trade value considerably which is why I'm so happy with what the Bills got in return.
Finally, this is a good deal for Lynch. He wanted out of Buffalo and needed a change of scenery. The city embraced Beast Mode early in his career, but the fans quickly became sick of his off the field transgressions. Lynch was also not getting a full workload because again, he was sharing carries with Jackson and Spiller. While he still might share carries with Forsett in Seattle, sharing with one instead of two is a better thing for all involved.
I was a huge fan of Lynch when he was drafted by the Bills. I was willing to look past his first incident. Then came his second and I quickly quoted on Facebook, "I don't want felons on my team." I still stand by that statement. Last year I couldn't stand Lynch. He looked fat and uninterested in helping the team. I've had a brief change of heart this year because he's looked much better on the field and I'd like to think he's not stupid enough to screw up again off the field.
All in all, this is a slightly sad day for me as a Bills fan. I know it's for the betterment of the franchise and for Lynch, but I'll miss him. He was a knucklehead, but there were lots of good times mixed in as well. Lynch took the sting away when the Bills traded Willis McGahee, who set the world record for being my favorite current Bill to the guy I couldn't stand anymore. For that, I'll always appreciate those few good years with Lynch.
Best of luck Marshawn.
Bills vs Jets Preview
10/02/2010 | Posted by
Devin
For the first time since 2004, the Bills will open the season with a 0-4 record. Sorry to put it so bluntly, but the Bills aren't a good team and the Jets are much better. When I projected the Bills schedule before the season, I said that the Bills would split the season series with the Jets. Despite my views on how much better the Jets are than the Bills, I still think that will be the case at the end of the season. Maybe. After this week, the Bills don't face the Jets until Week 17, so there is a very real possibility the the Bills will steal a win against the Jets backups. For the sake of getting a high draft pick, I almost hope this doesn't happen. We'll save that talk for Week 17 though, there is a game this Sunday to discuss.
Quarterbacks - For as much as I rip on The Sanchize, he is better than Ryan Fitzpatrick or Brian Brohm. Then again, that isn't saying much. The Sanchize has played very well in the past two weeks and it has a lot of people thinking he's turned the corner. Me? I'm not so sure. I'll get closer to that decision when we're about halfway through the season. Food for thought. In two games against Buffalo last year, The Sanchize threw for 223 yards, one touchdown and five interceptions.
Fitzpatrick is no Pro Bowl QB, but I think he can rack up some serious yards against the Jets. It looks like Revis Island will miss his second straight game, which would put mass producer Antonio Cromartie up against Lee Evans. As Fitzpatrick displayed last Sunday in New England, he isn't afraid to hit Roscoe Parrish and Stevie Johnson over the middle when they're open. If you think I'm crazy; consider this. The Jets currently rank 27th in the NFL in pass defense, allowing an average of 274.7 yards per game.
Running Backs - I have no idea what is going on with LaDainian Tomlinson. He apparently isn't totally
washed up like he appeared to be after his tenure in San Diego. My guess is he is rejuvenated and motivated, but does it last all season? Keep in mind, he's still 31 years old. Have you ever seen Rob Zombie's version of Halloween? (If not, I suggest you do.) There is a scene in the beginning where young Michael Myers beats a bully to death with a huge tree branch in a fit of rage. It's pretty brutal. If you know the scene I'm talking about, you know exactly what Shonn Greene has done to a number of my fantasy teams this year. Greene has 106 yards and zero touchdowns so far in three games. I could list the number of players that blew those numbers away in one game, but I think I've established my point already.
I like the Bills stable of running backs a lot more than the Jets, but unfortunately for Buffalo, they have to face the Jets run defense. Being optimistic, I can see the Bills maybe running for 50 yards combined (if they're lucky).
Wide Receivers/Tight Ends - I don't intend on sounding like a homer, but I'm not sold on the Jets receivers either. Jerricho Cotchery does nothing for me. Neither does David Clowney. If Brad Smith is lining up in the wildcat, I suppose he instills a little fear in me. And I only fear Braylon Edwards if he is driving on my street at 5AM.
Even without Revis, I'm not expecting much from Lee Evans. No slight against Lee, but this is what happens when he goes up against number one defenders every week. I've loved how Chan Gailey has worked Roscoe Parrish into the games so far this season. Since coming into the NFL and being completely mis-used by the Bills, the best season for Parrish was in 2007 when he grabbed 35 passes for for 352 yards. So far in three games this season, Parrish has nine receptions for 152 yards. I'm no mathematician, but it looks to me like this will be a career year for Roscoe.
Tight ends are another story. Dustin Keller is pretty good and the Bills are horrendous at stopping the tight end. For more information, please see exhibit A.
Exhibit A:
Those numbers are due in large part to the awful pass covering ability of Donte "Toast" Whitner and Chris Kelsay. I'd like to discuss this further but after the Bills gave Kelsay a $24MM extension, I'd rather just move on to another topic.
Defense: This came as a total shock to me, but the Bills have the 22nd overall defense in the NFL and the Jets only have the 20th. The Jets have the fourth overall run defense so their overall ranking is hurt by their all-of-a-sudden mediocre pass defense. I highlighted this above, but their pass defense will surely improve when Revis Island returns to the lineup from his injured hamstring (and ego).
Going into the season, I thought the strength of the Bills (if they even had one) would be their secondary. So far it's been a major disappointment. They are currently 18th in the NFL with an average of 221.3 yards per game. I still think the secondary is good, so I have to partially chalk this up to the competition. Facing Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady in consecutive weeks is no easy task. It will be interesting to see how they do this week for multiple reasons.
Special Teams: I have no idea how anybody would rank overall special teams. So I decided to look at two aspects of special teams to get a better grasp on things.
Kicking: Rian Lindell is 4/6 on the season, with his two misses being from 50+ yards. So in reality, he's been perfect this season.
Nick Folk is 6/7 on the season, with his one loss also being from 50+ yards. I would like to rip on Nick Folk for flopping last season and being released by Dallas, but Folk is the guy who helped pull off the ridiculous comeback Dallas had on MNF in Buffalo. Excuse me while I vomit.
Returns: Honestly, I know next to nothing about the Jets return game. I just looked it up on their depth chart and according to ESPN, Brad Smith is the main kick returner and Jim Leonhard is the punt returner. Uh, whatever. I suppose both are a threat to bring it back, but I'm not very worried.
This is one aspect during the Bills decade of awfulness that they continue to dominate. Currently C.J. Spiller is the main kick returner and he already showed what he can do last week against New England. In the event he isn't available, they have Leodis McKelvin, which aside from his fumble problems last opening day, is also an explosive kick returner.
Roscoe Parrish continues to return punts for Buffalo and honestly, he's a threat to bring it back every time. There are a few returners in the NFL who I legitimately think can take it back every time they touch the ball and Parrish is on that list. Maybe that is me partially being a homer, but give him a few blocks and he's gone. Trust me.
Prediction:. Jets 23, Bills 14.
End of an Era: Kawika Mitchell
10/01/2010 | Posted by
Devin
In the 2010 NFL season, better known to Bills fans as Operation Bottom Out, the Bills released another veteran player who never really amounted to much in Buffalo. Just days after releasing Captain Checkdown, the Bills also reached an injury settlement with Kawika Mitchell, who at the time was on injured reserve.
I think Mitchell’s signing in Buffalo can be traced back to December 23, 2007. On this day, the New York Giants made a trip to Ralph Wilson Stadium to face the Bills. I remember that game and thought it was just another meaningless game (it was). I also never thought the Giants had a shot at going anywhere in the playoffs that season, let alone winning the Super Bowl. The Bills were ahead in the fourth quarter until in typical Trent Edwards fashion, he threw an interception that was returned for a touchdown. The man who made the play? Kawika Mitchell.
Fast forward to the next season when Mitchell is on the Bills. The Bills started out 5-1 that season and were
led by Mitchell, who made a couple of big plays including a game ending interception against the Chargers. From that point on....nothing.
Mitchell literally did nothing. He would play in 15 more games for the Bills, amassing two sacks and one interception. Like usual for the Bills, it wasn’t money well spent.
Mitchell went on IR last season and was poised for a return this year. Then he got injured right before the season started and the Bills put him on injured reserve again. At first glance, this reeked of a typical Bills move and I felt bad for Mitchell. But then I read, via his Twitter, that it was a 12 week injury. At that point, I figured the Bills were well within their rights to put him on injured reserve. It’s not like he was going to come back and make an impact in the final five games of the season.
For whatever reason, Mitchell asked for his release today and the Bills promptly obliged with an injury settlement that set him free. Be careful what you wish for. He’s still hurt and I don’t think there will be teams knocking down his door for his services. Or at least I wouldn’t be if I were a GM.
Another thing to consider if you’re a GM. This is a player who twice ripped the organization he worked for on his Twitter site. Last year he ripped the Bills to shreds for picking up Richie Incognito off waivers. You know, never mind the fact that the Bills were decimated at offensive line and he could help the team (something Mitchell wasn’t doing). Then this year he did it again when the Bills released Trent Edwards.
Overall I like the move for the Bills. They need to get rid of the higher priced veterans and make way for the younger players. You don’t effectively rebuild and start over by treading water and signing guys like Mitchell. His signing essentially represents everything that was wrong with the Dick Jauron era.
It also gets rid of a tough talker on Twitter that never backed it up on the field. If only they would release Donte Whitner, we would be set.
I think Mitchell’s signing in Buffalo can be traced back to December 23, 2007. On this day, the New York Giants made a trip to Ralph Wilson Stadium to face the Bills. I remember that game and thought it was just another meaningless game (it was). I also never thought the Giants had a shot at going anywhere in the playoffs that season, let alone winning the Super Bowl. The Bills were ahead in the fourth quarter until in typical Trent Edwards fashion, he threw an interception that was returned for a touchdown. The man who made the play? Kawika Mitchell.
Fast forward to the next season when Mitchell is on the Bills. The Bills started out 5-1 that season and were
led by Mitchell, who made a couple of big plays including a game ending interception against the Chargers. From that point on....nothing. Mitchell literally did nothing. He would play in 15 more games for the Bills, amassing two sacks and one interception. Like usual for the Bills, it wasn’t money well spent.
Mitchell went on IR last season and was poised for a return this year. Then he got injured right before the season started and the Bills put him on injured reserve again. At first glance, this reeked of a typical Bills move and I felt bad for Mitchell. But then I read, via his Twitter, that it was a 12 week injury. At that point, I figured the Bills were well within their rights to put him on injured reserve. It’s not like he was going to come back and make an impact in the final five games of the season.
For whatever reason, Mitchell asked for his release today and the Bills promptly obliged with an injury settlement that set him free. Be careful what you wish for. He’s still hurt and I don’t think there will be teams knocking down his door for his services. Or at least I wouldn’t be if I were a GM.
Another thing to consider if you’re a GM. This is a player who twice ripped the organization he worked for on his Twitter site. Last year he ripped the Bills to shreds for picking up Richie Incognito off waivers. You know, never mind the fact that the Bills were decimated at offensive line and he could help the team (something Mitchell wasn’t doing). Then this year he did it again when the Bills released Trent Edwards.
Overall I like the move for the Bills. They need to get rid of the higher priced veterans and make way for the younger players. You don’t effectively rebuild and start over by treading water and signing guys like Mitchell. His signing essentially represents everything that was wrong with the Dick Jauron era.
It also gets rid of a tough talker on Twitter that never backed it up on the field. If only they would release Donte Whitner, we would be set.
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